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THE  EDITORIAL 


s>^ 


K^    V  V. 


THE    EDITORIAL 


A  STUDY  IN  EFFECTIVENESS 
OF  WRITING 


BY 

LEON  NELSON  FLINT 

PROFESSOR  OF  JOURNAUSM  IN 
THE  XJNIVERSITY  OF  KANSAS 


D.  APPLETON  AND  COMPANY 

NEW  YORK  LONDON 

1920 


COPYRIGHT,    1920,   BY 

D.  APPLETON  &  COMPANY 


PRINTED  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES  OF  AMERICA 


0 


-3 


yc^ 


TO 

MY  STUDENTS  OF  EDITORIAL 
WRITING  WHO  HAVE  ASPIRED 
TO  DO  THEIR  WORK  IN  THE 
PROFESSIONAL  SPIRIT,  AND  TO 
THOSE  EDITORS  WHOSE  ADMIR- 
ABLE EXAMPLE  HAS  POINTED 
THE   WAY 


INTRODUCTION 

In  order  to  invite  consideration  of  the  editorial  in 
all   its  aspects   this  book  contains   a  brief   historical 
sketch,  as  well  as  chapters  on  typography  and  on  edi- 
torial responsibility ;  but  the  controlHng  purpose  of  the 
p' discussion  has  been  to  achieve  practical  helpfulness 
/i  for  the  editorial  writer,  or  the  student,  who  really  tries 
^  to   carry   his   message   beyond   the   threshold   of   his 
reader's  mind,  rather  than  leaving  it  on  the  doorstep. 
;      Both  the  country  editor  who  is  trying  to  climb  the 
-^  ladder  of  editorial  effectiveness,  with  hands  full  of 
(^  distracting  duties  in  the  news,  advertising,  circulation^ 
.  and  printing  departments  of  his  paper,  and  the  metro- 
5  politan   editor  who  struggles   upward,   arms   bulging- 
^  with  original  documents,  reference  books,   and  con- 
ifi  flicting  news  reports,  would  get  along  better  if  they 
took  pains  to  observe  the  ladder.     It  behoves  ladder 
climbers  to  dispense  with  hobbles  and  blinders. 

This  book  deals  with  the  ladder.  Both  the  vet- 
eran, on  the  rung  near  the  top,  and  the  college  youth, 
placing  a  tentative  foot  on  the  lowest  crosspiece,  need 
to  know  what  they  are  about.  Anything  that  is  worth 
doing  at  all — particularly  an  art  such  as  editorial  writ- 
ing— is  worth  a  preliminary  examination  as  to  its  pur- 
•     poses,  possibilities  and  methods.     And,  as  the  years 


viii  INTRODUCTION 

of  devotion  to  it  lengthen  into  decades,  it  is  worth 
frequent  reexaminations  for  overlooked  opportunities 
and  improvement  of  technique. 

There  is  always  another  rung  waiting  for  the  editor 
who  can  see  it  and  get  his  foot  on  it. 

Several  years  of  experience  as  an  editorial  writer, 
and  as  many  more  in  work  with  students  ambitious  to 
become  editorial  writers,  have  gone  into  this  book. 
The  college  student — and  anyone,  for  that  matter — 
will  get  benefit  out  of  the  presentation  of  a  method 
of  doing  things  that  sets  him  to  developing  a  better 
one.  A  college  education  or  its  equivalent  is  about  to 
become  a  prerequisite  for  editorial  work.  And  since 
the  equivalent  is  harder  to  get  than  the  college  educa- 
tion itself,  it  is  safe  to  say  that  the  editor  of  the  future 
will  be  a  college  graduate — not  a  raw,  unweathered 
A.  B.,  of  course,  any  more  than  the  chief  counsel  for 
a  corporation  will  be  an  unseasoned  LL.  B.  or  the 
superintendent  of  a  hospital,  a  green  M.  D., — but  a 
man  who,  from  the  time  he  starts  out,  has  a  college 
education  working  for  him. 

The  experienced  editor,  while  he  may  be  impatient 
with  "methods"  in  general,  has  too  much  interest  in 
his  means  of  livelihood  and  too  much  respect  for  his 
profession  and  too  keen  a  vision  of  his  responsibilities, 
to  despise  utterly  fruits  of  experience  offered  by  others 
in  the  same  vocation.  The  overloaded  country  editor, 
tempted  to  get  rid  of  the  weight  of  an  editorial  column, 
welcomes  some  knack  of  juggling  it  in  the  pack  so  that 
it  chafes  less.  The  editor  in  the  city,  haunted  by  the 
ghostly  columns  of  white  space  to  fill,  is  relieved  by 


INTRODUCTION  ix 

even  a  weak  ray  of  light  that  makes  it  easier  to  dis- 
pel the  apparition. 

While  it  is  interesting  to  consider  editorial  writing 
historically,  and  tremendously  important  that  its  ethical 
aspects  be  regarded,  the  writer  of  this  study  of  the 
editorial  admits  that  for  him  the  greatest  fascination 
lies  in  the  study  of  technique — materials,  aims,  organ- 
ization, style.     In  short,  results. 

From  the  news  standpoint  and  the  standpoint  of 
broad  newspaper  policies,  ethics  is  undoubtedly  the 
most  vital  subject  in  journalism.  The  advance  of  the 
whole  American  press  hinges  on  progress  at  the 
strategic  point  where  honesty  and  accuracy  and  de- 
cency and  fairness  and  responsibility  and  devotion,  are 
confronted  by  entrenched  opposition.  But  from  the 
point  of  view  of  the  editorial,  this  phase  of  the  struggle 
is  relatively  less  critical.  Rather,  the  ground  to  be 
won  in  the  editorial  field  is  that  of  interest,  respect, 
confidence,  influence, — to  some  degree  matters  of 
ethics,  but  under  present  conditions,  much  more  to  be 
regarded  as  matters  of  psychology  and  technique. 

On  these  matters  emphasis  has  been  placed  in  this 
book  in  the  hope  that  the  procedure  outlined  will  be 
considered  in  the  spirit  in  which  it  is  offered — as 
merely  suggestive  of  methods  that  have  helped  some 
young  writers  in  their  work  and  that  many  successful 
editors  of  newspapers  and  magazines,  consciously  or 
unconsciously,  deliberately  or  spontaneously,  are  using 
every  day. 

L.  N.  F. 


¥■  >r 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

/♦I.  Development  of  the  Editorial  Column  .    .  i 

y  ril.  Weakness  and  Strength  of  the  Editorial  .    .  14 

fill.   The  Editor  and  His  Readers      .              ...  30 

3^- IV.  Materials  for  Editorials    .             .     .         .    .  42 

£L  V.  Editorial  Purposes 59 

X'VI.  Building  the  Editorial       .         100 

<^'VII.  The  Manner  of  Saying  It 140 

/I), VIII.  Paragraphs  and  Paragraphers 182 

^^^"!^IX    Typographical  Appearance 212 

^yX.  The  Editorial  Page 219 

/   XI.  Editorial  Responsibility     .    .    .^ 230 

.  XII.  The  Editor's  Routine  and  Reading     ....  245 

XIII.  Analyzing  Editorials .  254 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

Diverse  Styles  of  Editorial  Headings  and  Typography, 

with  Varying  Widths  of  Columns 3 

Portion  of  the  Editorial  Page  of  the  EngUsh  "Thun- 
derer"              5 

Greeley's  Famous  Signed  Editorial  to  which  Lincoln 

Replied 8 

Beginnings  of  a  Famous  Editorial  Page  in  the  First 

Number  of  the  Springfield  Daily  Republican    ...       23 
Attractive  Make-up  of  Editorial  Pages  in  a  Weekly 

Magazine 28 

Contrast  in  Reporter's  and  Editor's  Sources  of  Material  44 
Some  Newspapers  Have  "Platforms"  in  Their  "Flags"  55 
A  Page  in  which  Communications  Are  Given  the  Place 

of  Honor 86 

In  Mourning  for  President  Lincoln loi 

Diagram  on  Writing  an  Editorial 135 

A  Conservative  Page  Containing  Only  Editorial  Matter  170 
An  Attractive  Page  with  Carefully  Edited  Features  and 

Special  Coltmins 185 

One  of  the  Most  Widely  Quoted  "Columns,"  "A  Line 

o' Type  or  Two" 204 

Wide  Colvunns  Adopted  to  Make  the  Page  "Open  and 

Inviting" 216 

An  Editorial  Page  Containing  a  Great  Variety  of  Mate- 
rials           225 

xiii 


THE  EDITORIAL 

CHAPTER  I 
DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  EDITORIAL  COLUMN 

The  editorial — the  published  expression  of  the  opin- 
ions of  an  editor — is  one  of  the  many  mediums 
through  which  men  have  satisfied  their  instinct  to 
spread  ideas.  Storm  centers  of  thought  furnish  its 
natural  habitat.  When  men  have  become  agitated 
about  questions  of  government,  ethics,  religion,  art, 
science,  and  the  like,  they  have  sought  publicity  for 
their  opinions,  and,  when  facilities  permitted,  have 
found  expression  through  editorials  in  newspapers  and 
other  publications. 

Editorial  writing  has  its  own  distinctive  character- 
istics of  form  and  function  and  its  own  significance 
in  human  affairs,  justifying  its  consideration  apart 
from  other  types  of  writing. 

Nothing  but  News  in  the  First  Papers. — The 
earliest  newspapers  were  not  characterized  by  opinion. 
They  were  vehicles  for  news.  They  were  crude  at- 
tempts to  satisfy  wholesale  the  curiosity  of  human  be- 
ings about  events  affecting  their  welfare  or  touching 

I 


THE  EDITORIAL 

their  humanity.  The  News  Letters  of  England,  writ- 
ten by  correspondents  at  important  centers  to  persons 
in  the  provinces,  have  been  pointed  to  as  showing  the 
early  prevalence  of  opinion  in  journalism.  It  would 
be  almost  as  reasonable  to  claim  that  the  first  news- 
paper was  issued  by  Moses  from  his  office  of  publica- 
tion on  Mt.  Sinai,  and  was  entirely  editorial  matter — 
persuasive,  hortatory,  and  dictatorial.  The  News  Let- 
ters were  not  newspapers.  They  merely  form  one  of 
the  precursors  of  thfe  newspaper,  as  do  the  bellmen  and 
the  Acta  Diurna  of  the  Romans.  When  the  newspaper 
came,  it  was  a  medium  of  news,  not  opinion.  The 
first  daily  newspaper  in  England,  the  Daily  Courant, 
1702,  was  also  strictly  a  news  sheet. 

Neither  were  the  early  editors  actuated  by  the  same 
purposes  that  inspired  the  pamphleteers.  They  were 
neither  the  reflectors  nor  the  leaders  of  thought  among 
their  people. 

The  pamphlet  is  not  to  be  closely  associated  with 
the  newspaper,  lacking  as  it  did  the  distinguishing 
characteristics,  periodicity,  continuity  of  name,  and 
the  presence  of  news. 

But  the  failure  to  claim  primacy  for  the  editorial 
does  not  argue  any  less  regard  for  its  present  impor- 
tance. It  is  the  flower  of  journalism,  not  the  root. 
News  is  the  root  and  stem.  Interpretation  of  that 
news  is  the  flower  and  seed,  giving  significance  and 
worth  to  the  whole  plant. 

Editors  in  England. — The  time  came  in  England, 
as  later  in  America,  when  men  who  might  otherwise 
have   been  pamphleteers   became  newspaper  editors 

2 


Citizens  and  Friends^  Come 

Let  Us  Reason  Together 

E 


Ati&  «c«  ^t'*  t^^f*  ia  Xarvpc  oofkt  to  BAke  oa 
all  Uiiok  mart  icriixulr  of  tk<  IMPERATITK 
NKCESSITY    of    tapportiBC    th*    Pnaidest.   Btst 

Orff  ted  ovw  f>fin  Tht  AmfWf.n  Im  crtditttd  Ihtl  tlu« 


KEEPINC  DOWN  TRAFFIC  CONGESTION. 


1«H» 


SIGNED  BY  THE  PEOPLE 

Peace  Treatf  signed  at  Versailles  is  the  moat  important  peace  docnjnent 
hi^on-.  both  ifl  the  immengity  of  the  problema  it  deala  with  and  in  that 


THI   ZXPKUIOEMTr   HAM 

irUTO. 

On«  docM'i  have  to  b«  »  Otm- 


TWl  fitaVlCE    Of    A    NATION 
OTHKK  FOBM  OF  QOVZSSWSST. 


THE   WEEK   IN   THE 

'THTRKET   tumodcT*.     The  Darduellcs   i 


WAR 

t  opened.     That 


Education  of  Women  in  India 

KcABLV  sijrty.fiVe  yean  »go.  the  gwemment  of 
India,  in  forming  a  new  Department  ^  Public  Instruc- 
tion, declared  that  the  education  of  women  should  be 
given  "fr^nk  af>d  cordial  support^"  ayj   wtf^  pp   l^q,^\-  , 


MLtlAU  MOWARO  TAFT 


.k.  —   .    un|r«l    f,...^B-     Xt.*.    -*m    V^rU^  ^ 


l^ 


THE  HETCH.HETCHY  AMENDMENTS 

TWvf  Ar«  From  38  to  42,  loclusWe,  and  Tlicy  SbouU 

Be  Voted  Down 

I'^HARTER  AsMBdaetiU  }6  lo  42.  Bclatrrc.  arc  ^tended  lo  italkMit 
\^  <ht  iDtfal  BM  of  meaer  *ol«d  Fot  •  witcr  wpply  (or  the  coMtructiatt 
tt  ■  power  pUm.  tT»d<  bond*  amUble  ft>t  cAih  fof  fp«.tr,..tw,«  —l  ^ 


netBTM  or  a«  Ms  XAOTtr  ptnte  te 

Nov  Tort  Cltr  ■bow  tkot  PrwMoni  Wttooo 
kMp  otop.  Thio  to  u  If  AooU  bo.  II 
n«BiUJ  tiuU  bo  k«ov  Mop  vHh  SopokHo- 
oa  «eD  00  Domocrola^  Tko  o»ttro  ■•■ 
U  tiTiBf  to  koo»  itop  0B4  tko  Prwl- 
muit  morcb  la  ottlooa  wttk  noa  of  oil 


THEY  ARE  NOT  HOUS  YET 


Kfiul   Rlctitt  For  Aa 

Tko 

iw  talrblr  loctcfti  cmtorc*.  ttao 

mlllta 

HI  •u8rKC<'ttf«  ot  WMbta«too. 

•  11  ol 

lb«M  ehonslBg  ladtoo  taM  oil 

FRXSCU  AND  AUtKICAMS. 
In  BoMon  thii  wiour  Uw  Lowafl 
HaU  U  to  d«Yotc  iU  pnnoliMl  to 
fl  l»tur.i  to  rr.„,l,  lii>r..ur^  ayl  On  f 


,   -SiiiklaB  M«  Hvtadac   Htm 


nxn  axmncum. 


"mi  inti  lit  ••  Wii  nmtMiiil 


I  b««t  aid  o»tr  «ar  ror  tAa  lU- 

pahlloni  to  -wand  kr  Wlboa-  aM 
kch*  win  tt«  »&r  U  lo  rotora  »  Ro- 


lOM  M  >..1IM.  f.».  n»«l..  It.  -M. 


BEOOMsncK PREPABEDNESS.  I    Lost:  A  Huiidrcd  Million 

DIS4>.N  Ktiimlilnl  upon  artifviol  i>ilV 
whiir  HTHK-hinK  f*>r  Ih^  incHruIr*- 
cent  tifcht  and  threw  it  iMilr  wilh 
a  thousand  olher  acrappetl  rxprn- 


The  New  Merchant  M  arine  Act 


THE  Merchsiu  Mtrine  act  if  the  one  nocabli 
adlievenient  of  the  late  Congresiional  MaaioB. 
It  opcna  up  a  viAa  of  problem*  and  poaaibilitiet  for 
the  future  which  it  ii  not  too  early  to  be  coMideriag. 


So  Say  Wo  AD 


REMEMBER :  The  moM  viul  thing  in  our  Una  W  three  nwaJas  daf . 
Thoee  three  nteala  are  threatened.  To  remove  thia  threat  wr 
have  propoacd :  First,  that  the  land  be  taken  out  of  the  handa  of  the 
land  bof  and  the  speculator  and  put  back  in  the  hands  of  the  farmer, 
geeond.  that  we  be  nermltled  to  receive  oa^  food  fror,.  tb^  f.r,^. 


Diverse   Styles   of   Editorial   Headings   and   TypoGRAPHYy 
WITH  Varying  Widths  of  Columns. 


THE  EDITORIAL 

and  introduced  the  element  of  opinion,  even  fostered 
it  at  times  to  the  exclusion  of  everything  else. 

Such  editors  in  England  in  the  middle  of  the  sev- 
enteenth century  were  Marchamont  Needham,  cham- 
pion of  one  side  and  then  the  other,  John  Berkenhead, 
an  "administration  editor"  who  has  the  distinction  of 
being  the  first  newspaper  man  to  be  elected  to  parlia- 
ment, and  Roger  L'Estrange,  a  champion  of  press 
censorship — for  his  opponents.  In  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury Daniel  Defoe  and  Jonathan  Swift  developed  the 
political  power  of  the  press ;  Henry  Fielding  and  To- 
bias Smollett  interpreted  the  policies  of  powerful  min- 
isters; William  Cobbett  made  his  newspapers  the  or- 
gans of  the  masses  of  the  common  people;  Leigh 
Hunt  used  his  paper  to  promote  culture,  though  also 
adding  his  name  to  the  list  of  distinguished  "jail  edi- 
tors" as  a  result  of  a  lively  characterization  of  George 
IV;  John  Wilkes,  the  Woodfalls,  and  a  score  of 
others  made  beginnings  in  journalistic  endeavor  which 
were  to  develop  later. 

In  the  nineteenth  century,  the  Walters  built  up  the 
London  Times  and  J.  T.  Delane,  its  greatest  editor, 
made  it  "thunder" ;  Lord  Glenesk  developed  the  Morn- 
ing Post;  Charles  Dickens  demonstrated  with  his  Lon- 
don News  how  a  great  reporter  may  turn  out  a  poor 
editor;  C.  P.  Scott  made  of  the  Manchester  Guardian 
a  great  organ  of  opinion;  Lord  Northcliffe  began  to 
attain  with  his  Daily  Mail  new  levels  of  circulation 
and  influence.  In  the  nineteenth  century,  in  England, 
the  influence  of  the  press  on  opinion  and  on  govern- 
mental policies  probably  was  greater  than  at  any  other 

4 


TRS    TlXCa;    THmSAT.    lUR) 


ftip«i<D».tiOttllA«lriiM»)   It 
rM«  KW^  L*-^.  air,  ik.  k 

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S»A,m4I.^U 


DMcidMH  •«  L««T  •■  « 


llw 11  lll>lll    BAlMf 


— «~«  •  "j 

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II  I    Hi^ 

MM- (Mid 


«•  OMIUI 


fwfcwli»<  ^xM(  '  Ite  ■■iii>i1ltin| 


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I  Ifc.'**^  "I***  ■  <~   »■•'•»*   « 


tbii^Ik.  Kjw  »- >«-d.  . 


Portion  of  the  Editorial  Page  of  the  Engush  "Thunderer." 

5 


THE  EDITORIAL 

time  in  any  country.    Statesmen  took  hints  from  it  and 
politicians  sought  its  approval. 

The  American  Editor. — In  the  United  States,  the 
first  newspapers,  led  by  the  Boston  News  Letter,  es- 
tablished in  1704,  opened  the  history  of  American 
journalism,  as  it  had  been  opened  three-quarters  of  a 
century  earlier  in  England,  with  news  as  the  sole  or 
predominant  object,  though  the  ethical  purpose,  to 
"cure"  lying  by  making  known  the  truth,  was  an- 
nounced in  Publick  Occurrences,  a  precursor  of  the 
first  newspaper. 

Contemporaneously  in  England,  the  current  of  edi- 
torial opinion  was  broad  and  deep.    And  before  many 
decades  the  pre-Revolutionary  crises  and,  later,  the 
post -Revolutionary  issues  in  politics  and  government, 
gave  rise  to  great  editorial  activity  in  this  country. 
.J  /Men  became  editors  in  order  to  hold  more  advan- 
I  tageous  positions  as  publicists.     The  importance  of 
I  the  newspaper  as  a  vehicle  of  opinion  was  recognized 
/  in  the  use  made  of  it  by  statesmen,  both  through  con- 
I  tributed  opinions  and  through  acquired  "organs."  Ben- 
jamin Franklin  added  the  luster  of  his  name  to  Amer- 
(  ican  journalism. 

\  In  the  periods  which  saw  the  full  flowering  of  the 
party  press  and  the  beginnings  of  the  cheap  press, 
editorial  opinion  gained  a  generally  recognized  impor- 
tance and  an  almost  universal  prevalence  in  publica- 
tions. Early  in  the  century  William  Coleman  founded 
the  New  York  Evening  Post  with  high  and  explicit 
editorial  purposes,  which  were  to  be  admirably  up- 
held by  succeeding  editors,  William  CuUen  Bryant, 

6 


DEVELOPMENT 

John  Bigelow,  Carl  Schurz,  E.  L.  Godkin,  Horace 
White,  and  others.  WilHam  Lloyd  Garrison  brought 
out  the  Liberator.  Benjamin  Day  started  the  New 
York  Sun,  and  James  Gordon  Bennett,  the  Herald, 
with  preeminence  in  news-handling  as  their  chief  am- 
bition. Greeley  laid  the  foundations  of  his  future  su- 
premacy in  the  field  of  newspaper  opinion.  Samuel 
Bowles  2d  persuaded  his  father  to  make  a  daily  out 
of  the  Springfield  Republican,  in  order,  as  it  seemed, 
that  it  might  enter  early  upon  the  great  career  which 
Bowles  had  in  store  for  it  and  which  it  continues  to- 
day, as  an  Interpreter  of  the  meaning  of  events. 

Golden  Age  of  the  Editorial. — The  decade  pre- 
ceding the  Civil  War  is  sometimes  spoken  of  by 
newspaper  men  as  the  Golden  Age  of  the  editorial; 
but  it  is  difficult  to  separate  it  sharply  from  the  war 
period  itself  or  the  succeeding  years  of  reconstruction. 
During  this  third  of  a  century  there  were  many 
greater  and  lesser  giants  roaming  the  fields  of  opinion, 
with  Greeley  towering  above  them  all:  Charles  A. 
Dana,  with  the  New  York  Sun;  Henry  J.  Raymond, 
with  the  Times;  Joseph  Medill,  through  the  Chicago 
Tribune;  Henry  Watterson,  through  the  Louisville 
Courier- Journal;  Bowles;  and  others. 

This  was  the  era  of  personal  journalism,  before  the 
newspaper  as  a  news-gathering  and  commercial  insti- 
tution swallowed  up  the  editor  as  an  individual. 

The  "great  editor"  of  this  time  was,  to  quote  Tiffany 
Blake,  editor  of  the  Chicago  Tribune,  "a  man  whose  main 
business  was  public  affairs.    He  was,  essentially  and  pre- 

7 


o 

a 

o 

(73 


O 


DEVELOPMENT 

eminently,  a  public  man.  The  people  listened  to  their  par- 
sons one  day  in  seven ;  to  their  politicians  even  less  often. 
But  the  editor  preached  to  them  daily,  and  his  function 
was  as  vk^ell  recognized  as  that  of  the  preacher  or  politi- 
cian, of  which  he  was  a  most  formidable  combination. 

"The  voice  of  this  striking  social  figure  was  the  edi- 
torial, and  in  his  hands  it  enjoyed  a  kind  of  conspicuity 
and  prestige  it  is  likely  never  again  to  attain.  This  was 
not  solely  because  of  the  special  genius  of  the  great  editor 
as  writer  or  thinker,  but  also,  and  perhaps  chiefly,  because 
of  the  nature  of  his  office  and  its  place  in  the  social  and 
political  life  of  the  period.  But  there  is  also  to  be  taken 
into  account  the  fact  that  under  the  simple  conditions  of 
the  old-time  newspaper  its  editor  was  able  to  write  almost 
always  in  the  line  of  his  own  personal  convictions,  with 
all  the  tonic  sense  of  his  own  direct  accountability,  and 
with  full  ^eedom  to  wreak  his  personality  upon  his 
literary  form  in  all  its  whims,  its  inconsistencies,  even 
its  extravagances.  This  gave  his  work  its  gusto,  ita 
reality,  its  human  appeal." 

Modem  Developments. — In  the  years  intervening^ 
between  those  days  and  the  present,  which  it  is 
natural  to  characterize  as  the  modern  period,  at  least 
three  interesting  developments  are  to  be  noted. 

I.  The  veiled  successor  to  the  personal  editor,  the 
editorial  writer,  has  taken  over  the  function  of  com- 
mentator, and  has  been  multiplied  into  the  editorial 
staff,  with  its  tendencies  towards  specialization  pre- 
paring the  way  for  authoritative  opinions.  The  voice 
of  the  great  paper  has  become  the  voice  of  an  insti- 
tution. The  editor,  as  some  one  has  put  it,  has  be- 
come an  unrecognized  statesman.     The  change  is,  at 

9 


THE  EDITORIAL 

least,  inevitable,  and  there  is  better  reason  for  it — 
as  will  appear  later — than  is  given  in  the  rather  cyni- 
cal remark  of  G.  Binney  Dibblee,  an  English  commen- 
tator on  newspapers,  that  "reverence  attaches  itself 
more  easily  to  the  unknown,  and  the  shadow  of  cor- 
porate responsibility  adds  somewhat  to  the  freedom 
of  writing  and  very  much  to  the  fertility  of  inven- 
tion," and  further  that,  "the  grand  manner  can  be 
more  easily  sustained  where  irrelevant  individual 
characteristics  are  suppressed,  and  continuity  can  be 
better  preserved  in  spite  of  necessary  changes  in  the 
staff."  Henry  Watterson  has  thus  stated  his  view 
on  the  subject: 

We  are  passing  through  a  period  of  transition.  The 
old  system  of  personal  journalism  having  gone  out,  and 
the  new  system  of  counting-room  journalism  having  not 
quite  reached  a  full  realization  of  itself,  the  editorial 
function  seems  to  have  fallen  into  a  lean  and  slippered 
state,  the  matters  of  tone  and  style  honored  rather  in 
the  breach  than  in  the  observance.  Too  many  ill-trained, 
uneducated  lads  have  graduated  out  of  the  city  editor's 
room  by  sheer  force  of  audacity  and  enterprise  into  the 
more  important  posts.  Too  often  the  counting-room  takes 
no  supervision  of  the  editorial  room  beyond  the  immediate 
selling  value  of  the  paper  the  latter  turns  out.  Things 
upstairs  are  left  at  loose  ends.  They  are  examples  of 
opportunities  lost  through  absentee  landlordism.  These 
conditions,  however,  are  ephemeral.  There  will  never  be 
a  Greeley,  or  a  Raymond,  or  a  Dana,  playing  the  role 
of  "star"  and  personally  exploited  by  everything  appear- 
ing in  journals  which  seemed  to  exist  mainly  to  glorify 
them.     Each  was  in  his  way  a  man  of  superior  attain- 

lO 


DEVELOPMENT 

ments.  Each  thought  himself  an  unselfish  servant  of  the 
public.  Yet  each  had  his  limitations — his  ambitions  and 
prejudices,  his  likes  and  dislikes,  intensified  and  amplified 
by  the  habit  of  personalism,  often  unconscious.  And,  this 
personal  element  eliminated,  why  may  not  the  impersonal 
head  of  the  coming  newspaper — proud  of  his  profession, 
and  satisfied  with  the  results  of  its  ministration — render 
a  yet  better  account  to  God  and  the  people  in  unselfish 
devotion  to  the  common  interest? 

2,  Yellow  Journalism,  a  spectacular  phenomenon 
/  produced  by  W.  R.  Hearst,  with  his  New  York  Jour- 

f  nal  and  other  papers,  and  Joseph  Pulitzer,  with  his 
Y     New  York  World,  has  had  its  rise  and  decline ;  but  it 

\  has  brought  permanently  into  journalism  the  typogra- 
phically sensational,  easy-to-read,  universally  appeal- 

/  ing  editorial  type  of  which  Arthur  Brisbane,  chief  edi- 
(^    tor  for  Mr,  Hearst,  is  the  creator.     In  spite  of  its 

/  shortcomings  and  its  excesses  and  its  misdeeds,  sen- 
[      sational  journalism  has  made  a  valuable  contribution 

y  to  appreciation  of  the  editor's  function  as  a  moralist, 
\a  philosopher,  an  entertainer,  an  educator. 

3.  An  understanding  of  the  vastly  increased  im- 
portance of  news,  socially,  politically,  economically, 
ethically,  and  of  the  ease  with  which  public  opinion 
can  be  formed  through  the  news  columns,  led  to  the 
temporary  transfer  of  editorializing  to  the  news  col- 
umns, both  in  the  frank  mixing  of  opinion  and  news 
and  in  the  more  subtle  "handling"  of  news  for  edi- 
torial effect.  By  some,  this  practice  is  still  held  to  be 
justified  by  its  results.  Its  propriety  is  still  a  subject 
for  fiery  debate.    Its  employment  is  common.    But  the 

II 


THE  EDITORIAL 

weight  of  opinion  has  turned  against  it.  Its  advan- 
tages are  bought  at  too  high  a  price  of  loss  in  public 
confidence.  It  too  plainly  deprives  the  public  of  its 
right  to  an  unadulterated  product,  the  unbiased  news. 
At  best,  no  newspaper,  in  gathering  and  evaluating 
news,  can  be  absolutely  fair;  but  it  can  avoid  inten- 
tional partiality. 

Opinion  an  Essential  Element. — The  editorial 
page  will  not  atrophy.  It  is  a  vital  organ  of  the  jour- 
nalistic body.  The  paramount  question  for  study  by 
newspaper  men  is  how  it  may  best  meet  the  new  con- 
ditions; how  it  may  most  successfully  perform  the 
functions  that  inevitably  belong  to  it.  The  mission  of 

(  journalism  is  indeed  "to  satisfy  the  inquiring  mind," 
but  the  mind  of  the  public  inquires  not  only  about  cur- 

,  rent  facts,  but  about  values  as  well. 

^  Signed  Editorials. — Minor  experiments  in  edi- 
torial practice  have  been  tried,  from  time  to  time,  in 
the  way  of  employing  extra-staff  writers  or  authori- 
ties to  handle  special  subjects,  also  in  printing  signed 
editorials  by  staff  writers,  and  contributed  editorials 
by  such  leaders  as  Theodore  Roosevelt  and  William 
Howard  Taft.  It  does  not  yet  appear  that  any  method 
superior  to  the  conventional  one  inherited  from  the 
past  has  been  developed.  As  to  the  propriety  of  hav- 
ing editorials  signed,  following  the  practice  of  news- 
papers on  the  continent  of  Europe,  it  has  been  aptly 
pointed  out  that  subjects  for  editorial  treatment  in 
any  large  American  newspaper  are  threshed  out  at  the 
editorial  council  and  the  man  who  writes  the  editorial 
frequently  accepts  ideas  from  every  member  of  the 

12 


DEVELOPMENT 

staff.    He  would  be  guilty  of  plagiarism  if  he  should 
attach  his  name  to  the  editorial. 

Exception  may  be  made,  of  course,  in  the  case  of 
such  special  editorial  features  as  the  weekly  "lay  ser- 
mon," in  the  Kansas  City  Journal,  written  always  by 
the  same  member  of  the  staff  and  signed  by  him. 


CHAPTER  II 
WEAKNESS  AND  STRENGTH  OF  THE  EDITORIAL 

Not  infrequently  the  question  is  raised  among 
newspapermen  and  others  interested  in  the  newspa- 
per, "Is  the  editorial  anything  more  than  a  newspaper 
habit?" 

The  feeling  of  uncertainty  as  to  the  quantity  and 
quality  or  even  the  existence  of  that  newspaper  pro- 
duct or  by-product  called  editorial  influence  extends 
even  among  editors  themselves — perhaps  especially 
among  editors. 

It  is  common  to  hear  remarks  about  the  "decline" 
of  the  editorial  page,  though  not  so  common  as  before 
the  revival  of  interest  in  discussions  of  opinions  oc- 
casioned by  the  tremendous  issues  growing  out  of  the 
world  war. 

Even  in  English  journalism,  according  to  J.  D.  Sy- 
mon  in  "The  Press  and  Its  Story,"  more  and  more 
the  average  man  echoes  the  cry  of  a  hard-headed 
Scotchman,  'Give  us  your  news,  not  your  opinions; 
we  can  form  our  opinions  for  ourselves,  if  you  will 
tell  us  accurately  what  is  happening.'  "  And  again, 
"I  find  now-a-days  that  those  who  read  leading  articles 
are  either  the  very  old  or  the  very  young."  G. 
Binney  Dibblee  diagnoses  as  follows: 

14 


WEAKNESS  AND  STRENGTH 

Just  as  we  chose  the  American  daily  paper  for  the  model 
of  a  news-gathering  and  news-presenting  organization, 
so  here  we  must  admit  that,  as  an  organ  for  expressing 
instructive  opinion  not  only  on  politics  but  on  general 
topics,  the  distinctively  English  type  of  paper  is  a  far 
more  potent  and  more  highly  developed  instrument.  In 
this  respect  the  American  press  suffers  severely  from  the 
general  democratic  contempt  prevailing  on  that  continent 
for  expert  opinion  of  all  kinds.  Since  one  man  there  is 
commonly  reputed  to  be  as  good  as  another,  so  there  is  no 
room  even  in  that  huge  population  for  any  one  whose 
opinion  carries  weight  in  any  other  sense  than  that  a  large 
number  of  people  think  that  he  adequately  expresses  their 
views  or  comes  near  to  saying  publicly,  what  privately 
each  man  feels  and  thinks  more  effectively  for  himself. 

Signs  of  Lost  Confidence. — In  this  country,  as 
well  as  in  England,  one  of  the  patent  indications  of 
doubt — it  seems  sometimes  it  must  be  desperation — 
as  to  the  efficacy  of  editorials  is  the  widespread  effort 
to  transform  the  editorial  page  into  a  sort  of  layer 
cake  with  plenty  of  frosting.  The  constantly  grow- 
ing variety  of  features  that  appear  on  the  editorial 
page  manifests  at  least  a  determination  to  save  the 
right-hand  side  of  the  page  from  the  complete  neg- 
lect which  threatens  the  first,  second,  and  third  col- 
umns— as  far  over  as  matters  of  intellectual  interest 
are  allowed  to  encroach. 

Another  confession  of  the  impotency  of  the  edi- 
torial column  is  involved  in  the  practice  of  editorial- 
izing the  news.  Not  alone  by  the  injection  of  edi- 
torial views  into  news  stories  and  their  headings,  but 

IS 


THE  EDITORIAL 

also  by  the  clever  "coloring"  of  news  stories,  is  the 
fact  betrayed  that  the  directing  heads  of  many  news- 
papers have  discovered  what  they  regard  as  the  best 
way  to  "get  results." 

This  applies  more  particularly  to  the  metropolitan 
press.  The  small  newspaper  has  been  perhaps  less 
self-critical  than  its  larger  contemporary  and  in  its 
small  field  has  had  less  reason  to  worry  about  lack  of 
editorial  influence,  taking  comfort  in  the  fact  that  even 
the  readers  themselves  do  not  know  how  much  or 
how  little  they  are  influenced  by  their  newspapers. 

The  Chief  Criticisms. — Thus  it  appears  that  from 
the  newspaper  world  itself  come  admissions  of  edi- 
torial weakness  or  futility.  But  that  is  not  the  full 
extent  of  the  trouble.  From  the  benches  of  the  pub- 
lic, right,  left,  and  center,  come  indictments  not  only 
of  the  utility  but  also  of  the  ethics  of  the  editorial 
column.     Some  of  the  most  common  are: 

1.  That  editorial  opinion  can  be  bought.  Or  that, 
if  not  directly  purchasable  for  money,  it  is  dictated 
indirectly  through  the  business  office  of  the  newspa- 
per. That,  while  only  in  particular  cases  is  a  press 
venal,  as  a  whole  and  always  it  is  capitalistic.  That 
"the  daily  play  of  the  higher  mind  upon  the  lower 
mind,"  the  "intense  emotion  of  conviction,"  can  not 
come  from  a  business  concern. 

2.  That  editorial  columns  are  usually  colored  by 
bigotry  and  based  on  an  implied  assertion  of  iner- 
rancy, while  the  truth  is  that  few  editors  have  first 
rate  ability  and  high  educational  qualifications  neces- 
sary for  passing  judgment  on  great  questions  of  the 

i6 


WEAKNESS  AND  STRENGTH 

day.    As  Bernard  Shaw  puts  it,  no  newspaper  would 
leave  the  destiny  of  its  country  or  even  its  city  in  the 
hands  of  its  editorial  writers  who  are  telling  the  pa-  ^^^ 
per's  readers  what  ought  to  be  done. 

3.  That   editorial   writers    assume    to   relieve   the 
reader  of  the  need  of  thinking  for  himself ;  try  to  \ 
force  opinions  upon  him,  in  spite  of  suspicion  and  an- 
tagonism thus  aroused;  overdo  the  practice  of  "ap- 
plied mentality." 

4.  That  editors  make  indefensible  attacks  upon 
public  men  and  others. 

5.  That  editorials  are  dull  and  profitless — ground 
out  by  men  who  have  insufficient  time  to  make  their 
writing  effective — and  have  no  merit  except  that  they 
afford  the  reader  complete  mental  rest.  Thus  did 
Carlyle  rail  at  the  leading  articles  as  "straw  that  has 
been  threshed  a  hundred  times  without  wheat." 

6.  That  editors  are  prone  to  follow  a  "safety  first" 
or  "absent  treatment"  policy  of  denouncing  bank  rob- 
bery and  the  crimes  of  the  satraps  of  Persia  or  advo- 
cating passionately  reforms  in  Togoland,  thus  pro- 
ducing "filler"  made  up  of  equal  parts  of  verbal  gym- 
nastics and  cowardice.  "Editorialene,"  one  critic  has 
called  it. 

7.  That — at  the  other  extreme  from  the  preceding 
— editorials  usually  deal  with  local  trivialities,  discus- 
sing the  bad  conditions  of  sidewalk  crossings  or  the 
objections  to  keeping  hogs  within  the  city  limits. 

8.  That  it  has  not  been  uncommon  in  the  past  for 
newspapers  to  use  syndicated  editorials  put  out  by 
so  called  "editorial  copy  foundries,"  at  fifty  cents  or 

17 


THE  EDITORIAL 

less  a  column — unless  exclusive  copy  on  one  side  or 
another  of  some  question  was  desired,  in  which  case 
the  price  ranged  from  five  dollars  to  ten  dollars  for 
each  thousand  words — a  practice  so  full  of  insincerity 
and  deceit  as  to  be  worthy  of  characterization  as  rank 
imposture.  Similar  methods  of  syndication  are  not 
uncommon  to-day. 

9.  That  editorial  writers  say  things  that  they  do 
not  believe. 

10.  That  from  the  editor's  point  of  view,  things 
are  always  all  good  or  utterly  bad.  There  is  no  such 
thing  as  fairness  in  keeping  accounts  with  men  and 
measures  by  entry  of  both  debit  and  credit  items. 

11.  That,  once  committed  to  a  policy,  perhaps  on 
the  most  flimsy  evidence,  no  editor  ever  changes  front, 
however  untenable  his  position  becomes. 

12.  That  editorial  columns  are  seldom  used  to 
acknowledge  a  mistake  or  to  right  a  wrong. 

13.  That  editors  conduct  their  campaigns  on  an 
emotional,  not  a  rational  basis,  substituting  for  an  in- 
tellectual assault  on  an  evil  principle  the  pursuit  of 
the  individual  bad  man,  and  sometimes  abandoning  the 
chase  as  soon  as  the  excitement  begins  to  subside. 

The  first  four  of  these  indictments  are  usually  di- 
rected at  the  metropolitan  press,  the  fifth,  sixth,  sev- 
enth and  eighth,  at  the  rural  editor,  and  the  remainder 
at  both  about  equally. 

Need  of  Studying  Problems. — It  is  impossible  to 
deny  that  there  is  some  truth  in  all  of  these  indict- 
ments, though  for  the  most  part  such  criticisms  are 
highly  exaggerated.    It  is  not  the  purpose  of  this  book 

18 


WEAKNESS  AND  STRENGTH 

to  minimize  the  faults  of  journalism,  nor  to*  take  up* 
criticisms,  in  order,  and  dispose  of  them  as  effectively- 
as  possible.  It  is  the  purpose,  rather,  to  discuss  ways; 
and  means  of  improving  conditions,  whether  very  bad 
or  merely  somewhat  less  than  perfect.  The  worse 
they  are,  the  greater  the  need  for  efforts  at  improve- 
ment. 

The  chapters  which  follow,  dealing  with  methods  o£ 
finding,  gathering  and  handling  editorial  materials,  on 
the  one  hand,  and,  on  the  other,  with  notions  as  to  edi- 
torial responsibilities  and  opportunities,  are,  broadly- 
speaking,  answers  to  the  charges  made.  In  some  cases, 
the  answer  amounts  to  a  denial,  in  others  to  an  admis- 
sion of  guilt ;  but  in  both,  the  main  concern  is  with 
methods  of  improvement.  To  take  up  the  charges; 
here  would  result  in  needless  duplication  of  discussiott 
that  comes  up  in  its  proper  place  along  through  the 
logical  development  of  the  subject  of  editorial  writings 

Conditions  Better  To-day. — Perhaps  it  may  be 
said  in  passing,  however,  that  while  it  is  true  that 
"there  were  giants  in  those  days,"  the  modern  editor\ 
does  not  suffer  by  comparison  on  an  ethical  basis  with 
the  editor  of  the  past.  In  fact  he  is  in  most  respects, 
superior.  He  is  not  more  mercenary  nor  more  dis- 
honest; he  is  less  egotistical,  less  intolerant,  less  abus- 
ive, less  contemptuous  of  the  reader's  ability  to  think, 
equally  courageous,  better  trained,  and  more  widely^ 
informed.  Of  course,  such  a  comparison  is  far  from- 
scientific;  it  is  a  matter  of  impressions  formed  by^ 
reading  and  experience;  but  it  is  fairly  well  agreed  ta 
by  those  who  have  taken  pains  to  strike  a  balance^ 

19 


THE  EDITORIAL 

The  trouble  with  the  editorial  page  is,  in  a  word, 
that  it  has  not  developed  in  a  way  to  meet  new  con- 
ditions. These  new  conditions  are  not  mainly  in  the 
realm  of  ethics.  They  grow  out  of  (i)  The  greater 
•education  of  the  people;  (2)  less  willingness  to  follow 
leaders  in  the  party,  in  the  church  or  on  the  platform; 
(3)  the  higher  pressure  of  modern  Hfe;  (4)  changes 
in  public  taste;  (5)  new  competing  interests;  (6) 
changes  in  the  newspaper  as  an  institution;  (7) 
-changes  in  the  newspaper  itself — its  size,  its  variety 
of  content,  its  appeal,  its  discovery  of  publicity  in  the 
news  as  an  effective  weapon. 

False  Attitude  of  Editors. — When  an  ineffective 
•editorial  page  is  examined  for  an  explanation  of  its 
failure,  the  trouble  is  generally  found  to  be,  not  in  the 
ethics  of  the  page  but  in  what  may  be  called  its  tech- 
nique— the  methods  it  uses  to  meet  conditions  and  do 
its  work.  There  are  not  so  many  dishonest  editors 
as  there  are  incompetent  editors — writers  who  take 
themselves  too  seriously;  who  have  nothing  to  learn 
about  editorial  writing.  When  such  an  editor  is  asked 
for  a  recipe  for  success  in  his  line  of  work,  he  usually 
makes  one  of  the  following  replies : 

1.  "The  good  editor  is  born,  not  made."  A  state- 
ment that  becomes  less  fallacious  if  "not"  is  changed 
to  "and." 

2.  "All  that  an  editor  needs  is  something  to  say." 
Which  may  be  brought  much   nearer  the  truth  by 

-changing  "all"  to  "one  important  thing."  Dr.  Johnson 
did  indeed  testify  that  the  secret  of  his  power  lay  in 
the  fact  that  he  always  tried  to  have  something  to 

20 


WEAKNESS  AND  STRENGTH 

say.  But  his  explanation  did  not  stop  there.  The  rest 
of  his  formula  is  just  as  important:  "I  say  it  as  well 
as  I  can." 

3.  "I  just  sit  down  to  the  typewriter  and  write. 
That  is  all  there  is  to  being  an  editor."  Also  that  is 
what  is  the  matter  with  a  woeful  number  of  editorial 
columns. 

4.  "Anybody  can  write  editorials."    Anybody  does  '/ 
— more's  the  pity. 

5.  "There  is  no  use  writing  editorials  for  anybody 
except  the  few  who  think."  That  is  doubtless  the 
privilege  of  an  editor  if  he  can  afford  it ;  but  the  thrill 
that  the  editor  gets  from  organizing  a  select  aris- 
tocracy of  intellect  among  his  readers,  and  electing 
himself  a  member  of  it,  is  more  expensive  and  less 
creditable  than  the  more  "human"  kinds  of  thrills  that 
can  be  bought  cheaply  at  any  amusement  park  or 
moving  picture  theater. 

6.  "You  might  as  well  ask  by  what  system  Caruso 
draws  a  crowd."  Very  well,  why  not  ask  it?  Does 
anybody  doubt  that  Caruso  has  a  system?  Caruso  is 
endowed  with  a  great  voice,  to  be  sure ;  but  is  that  all 
the  explanation  of  Caruso? 

The  Root  of  the  Trouble. — The  whole  trouble 
with  the  editorial  page — or  at  least  nine-tenths  of  it 
— may  be  summed  up  in  two  brief  statements :    Firsts 
editorials  with  neither  knowledge,  insight,  nor  cour- 
age in  them,  nor  an  attractive  sense  of  humor,  are  \ 
nothing  more  than  "fillers";  second,  the  editor  who 
has  not  thought  out  and  applied  a  technique  of  his^ 
craft  is  "going  it  blind."    If  he  exerts  any  influence^ 

21 


THE  EDITORIAL 

it  is  by  accident  or  intuition.  It  is  a  mere  foolish 
dream  for  him  to  expect  to  exercise  leadership  while 
affecting  to  despise  the  knowledge  of  tactics  and  stra- 
tegy upon  which  leadership  depends. 

Editors  who  are  lacking  in  these  two  particulars 
really  have  no  warrant  for  publishing  their  opinions 
or  undertaking  policies. 

The  fact  that  some  writers  may  do  a  thing  passably 
well  by  instinct  does  not  argue  against  the  necessity 
of  training  for  other  writers.  Even  the  greatest  edi- 
tors might  have  been  more  powerful  for  a  study  of 
the  technique  of  their  craft. 

Why  the  Editorial  Will  Persist. — To  the  ques- 
tion asked  at  the  beginning,  "Is  the  editorial  anything 
more  than  a  newspaper  habit?"  the  answer  may  be 
summed  up  by  stating  a  few  of  the  reasons  why  news- 
papers print  editorials — continue  to  print  them  even 
though,  in  some  instances,  the  publisher's  confidence 
in  their  efficacy  is  little  more  than  the  "benefit  of  a 
doubt." 

1.  They  have  come  to  be  an  essential  part  of  the 
conception  of  a  newspaper.  They  supply  a  thought 
element  necessary  to  its  completeness.  They  are  the 
"Interpreter's  House."  They  furnish  an  incentive  and 
an  outlet  for  the  best  intellectual  ability  of  the  editor 
and  his  staflF.  "One  good  comment  is  worth  ten  in- 
formations," said  de  Blowitz. 

2.  Whether  or  not  they  are  read  as  much  as  might 
be  desired,  they  enhance,  by  their  very  presence,  the 
prestige  of  the  paper.  Taken  as  a  whole  they  dignify 
journalism. 

22 


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Beginnings   of  a  'Famous    Editorial   Page  in   the   First 
Number  of  the  Springfield  "Daily  Republican." 


23 


THE  EDITORIAL 

3.  The  presence  of  the  editorial  page  makes  jour- 
nalism worth  while,  in  the  higher  sense.  Only 
through  the  consciousness  of  its  editorial  powers  does 
a  newspaper  get  a  lively  realization  of  its  responsibil- 
ity to  the  public,  though  this  responsibility  is  by  no 
means  limited  to  the  editorial  page. 

4.  The  presence  of  an  editorial  column  renders  un- 
K      necessary  and  tends  to  discourage  the  practice,  which 

even  the  publisher  sanctioning  it  is  likely  to  admit  to 
te  reprehensible,  of  coloring  news  with  editorial  opin- 
ion. It  makes  it  easier  to  print  both  sides  in  the  news 
instead  of  suppressing  what  is  unfavorable  to  the  pa- 
per's side,  while  "playing  up"  what  is  favorable. 

5.  The  editorial  page  brings  within  reach  one  of 
the  luxuries  of  journalism — recognition  abroad.  For 
the  editor  of  the  small  paper,  such  recognition  is  per- 
sonal. His  editorials  are  reprinted;  his  clever  para- 
graphs go  chuckling  about  the  state.  Through  the  ex- 
change of  badinage  he  makes  friends  with  other  edi- 
tors. The  horizon  of  his  influence  broadens  indefi- 
nitely. He  gets  more  fun  out  of  life.  In  the  case  of 
the  large  paper,  the  recognition  is  institutional,  but  by 
no  means  lacking  in  personal  satisfaction  to  every- 
1i)ody,  from  the  publisher  to  the  cub. 

6.  An  editorial  column  enables  the  paper  to  ex- 
press prevailing  local  opinion  on  public  questions — a 
reflecting  process  that  even  the  cynical  cannot  deny 

""'assists  popular  government.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
editorial  column  affords  the  only  legitimate  means  by 
which  a  newspaper  may  attempt  to  exercise  leader- 
ship.    Through  this  means  of  expression  it  can  "de- 

24 


WEAKNESS  AND  STRENGTH 

fend  the  weak  and  the.  new  idea,"  or  as  another  puts, 
it,  "fight  for  the  unorganized  classes  in  society,"  or  "act 
as  attorney  for  the  people  who  pay  it  ten  cents  a. 
week." 

Horace  White  when  editor  of  the  New  York  Eve- 
ning Post  thus  commented  on  the  value  of  the  editor- 
ial page : 

"A  newspaper  which  merely  inked  over  a  certain 
amount  of  white  paper  each  day  might  be  a  good  col- 
lector of  news,  it  might  be  successful  as  a  business 
venture;  but  it  could  leave  no  mark  upon  its  time,, 
and  could  have  no  history." 

Or  as  the  Detroit  News  puts  it : 

It  is  doubtless  true  that  some  editorial  pages  have  Ceased 
to  be  an  influence,  but  that  is  because  they  ought  so  to- 
cease.  Influence  is  based  on  confidence,  and  confidence 
is  built  on  a  daily,  yearly  loyalty  to  truth,  a  tested  vision 
which  foresees  right  directions,  and  an  uncompromising 
devotion  to  the  principles  of  righteousness  and  justice  no 
matter  how  positively  unpopular  for  the  time  being  these 
may  be. 

Editorial  pages  which  have  not  been  prostituted  to  pri- 
vate purposes,  which  are  not  mere  moiithpieces  for  the 
predacious  few  against  the  many,  have  not  lost  their  in- 
fluence. There  is  not  an  editorial  page  in  the  country 
that  stands  for  the  general  trend  of  righteousness,  that 
instinctively  turns  its  strength  to  succor  the  weak,  that 
trenchantly  attacks  the  sinister  influences  which  would, 
undermine  liberty  and  morality,  that  can  complain  of  pub- 
lic disregard.  Wherever  a  man  or  staff  of  men  speak 
out  plainly  for  what  they  hold  to  be  right  for  all,  and 
speak  from  deep  conviction,  and  speak  rationally;  where- 

25 


THE  EDITORIAL 

-ever  there  is  a  willingness  to  give  the  deep  reason  for 
the  faith  that  is  expressed,  there  is  no  complaint  of  public 
indifference  and  disregard.  .  .  .  The  statement  that  people 
do  not  read  editorials  comes  with  most  suspicious  fre- 
quency from  those  who  could  pursue  their  evil  plans  to 
better  advantage  if  the  people  really  could  be  persuaded 
Tiot  to  read  editorials.  Their  statement  is  not  possible 
of  belief  by  any  newspaper  whose  editorial  duties  are 
honestly  performed.  The  people  frequently  say  what  they 
think  of  editorials  which  is  proof  of  the  reading  they 
receive. 

It  would  be  interesting  to  know  the  variety  of  reasons 
which  guide  so  many  people  to  the  reading  of  editorials. 
One  man  goes  to  them  for  the  summing  up  of  matters, 
another  for  a  knowledge  of  the  arguments  which  may  be 
made  on  either  side  of  an  issue,  another  for  the  controlling 
tendencies  of  communal  thought,  another  for  inspiration, 
another  because  the  thoughtful  side  of  newspaper  work 
appeals  to  him  as  much  as  does  the  reportorial  side,  an- 
other because  in  the  maze  .of  conflicting  opinions  he 
wants  some  clew  by  following  which  he  may  come  to  his 
own  conclusion. 

For  various  reasons,  then,  men  and  women  read  the 
editorials,  and  the  knowledge  of  their  watchful  eyes  and 
alert  minds  is  a  constant  inspiration  to  renewed  care  and 
labor.  This  body  of  readers,  though  doubtless  much 
smaller  than  the  total  number  of  readers,  is  really  the 
influential  leaven  in  society.  They  belong  to  the  race  of 
thinkers,  to  those  who  go  behind  the  story  for  it3  mean- 
ings, behind  the  event  for  its  interpretation,  behind  the 
social  symptom  for  the  social  cause,  behind  the  medley 
of  happenings  for  the  pattern  of  sigpaificant  tendencies 
and  influences  that  is  being  woven. 

26 


WEAKNESS  AND  STRENGTH 

Editorials  in  the  Magazines.^Separate  consid- 
eration might  be  given  to  the  changing  fortunes  of  the 
magazine  editorial  page;  but  the  fact  that  an  editorial 
is  an  editorial,  wherever  printed,  renders  separate 
treatment  unnecessary. 

We  are  sometimes  told  that  "the  best  output  of 
opinion  is  in  magazines  of  conviction  and  purpose." 
This  may  be  granted  without  detracting  from  the  im- 
portance of  opinion  in  newspapers  of  like  conviction 
and  purpose.  Argument  as  to  which  have  the  greater 
influence  would  be  profitless. 

Generally  speaking,  the  monthly  magazines,  except 
the  reviews,  regard  expression  of  editorial  opinion  as 
a  minor  matter. 

The  weekly  reviews,  on  the  other  hand,  and  the 
propaganda  publications,  are  at  the  other  extreme  of 
self-expression.  Editorial  opinion  is  their  whole  life. 
The  Nation,  the  New  Republic,  the  Review,  are  at  the 
head  of  a  long  column  of  vigorous  exponents  of  views 
on  everything  in  general  or  some  one  thing  in  parti- 
cular. 

Between  the  two  extremes  come  the  weeklies  such 
as  Collier's,  the  Saturday  Evening  Post,  Leslie's,  the 
Independent,  the  Outlook  and  many  others  which,  in  a 
greater  or  less  degree,  subordinate  editorial  opinion 
to  general  articles,  fiction,  or  contributed  discussions. 

The  policies  and  the  rules  of  procedure  of  the 
periodicals  in  our  own  country  and  abroad  oflFer  an  in- 
teresting field  of  study.  The  newspapers,  however, 
seem  closer  to  people  in  the  mass,  and  with  thqir  ag- 
gregate daily  circulation  far  exceeding  the  total  num- 

27 


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!!pi  ii|iliH!|i! 
Pi  iipi 

^iilliliiii 


WEAKNESS  AND  STRENGTH 

ber  of  persons  in  the  country,  they  are,  or  should  be, 
the  great  highway  of  ideas  to  and  from  the  mind  of 
the  nation.  In  the  choice  of  illustrative  selections  for 
this  book,  preference  has  been  given'to  examples  from 
newspapers. 


CHAPTER  III 
THE  EDITOR  AND  HIS  READERS 

An  editorial  writer  who  becomes  so  jaded  that  he 
ceases  to  get  inspiration  from  his  readers  should  try 
producing  something  else  than  editorial  copy.  He  can 
never  hope  to  supply  a  market  to  which  he  has  grown 
indifferent.  The  first  thrill  of  publication  will  not, 
to  be  sure,  follow  the  beginner  through  years  and 
decades  of  daily  appearance  in  print,  but  he  does  not 
lose — dare  not  lose — the  warm  consciousness  of  those 
who  "think  his  thoughts  after  him,"  whether  they  are 
to  be  visualized  as  a  little  group  or  a  great  concourse 
of  thousands. 

If  the  English  essayists  of  the  eighteenth  century 
could  have  surveyed  the  two  hundred  years  to  follow, 
they  might  have  been  justified  in  feeling  little  concern 
as  to  what  the  readers  of  their  own  day  thought  of 
them.  The  editorial  essayist  of  to-day,  however,  can 
not  look  forward  to  a  century  of  appreciation.  He 
cannot  appeal  from  the  present  to  the  future.  His 
medium  is  ephemeral.  His  writing  is  for  the  public 
of  that  same  hour.  "It  is  his  fate  not  to  be  studied 
but  simply  to  be  read." 

The  Editor's  Public. — Except  in  the  case  of  the 
editor  of  a  class  publication,  every  editorial  writer  is 

30 


THE  EDITOR  AND  HIS  READERS 

blessed  with  several  possible  publics.  There  are  many 
periodicals,  and  doubtless  a  few  newspapers,  which 
are  read  by  people  of  practically  equal  intelligence  and 
education  and  having  the  same  assortment  of  predomi- 
nant interests.  But  most  newspapers,  large  or  small, 
reach,  on  the  one  hand,  a  public  that  may  without 
flattery  be  called  intellectual  and,  at  the  other  extreme, 
a  public  little  better  than  illiterate,  and,  in  between, 
as  many  grades  as  one  cares  to  make.  The  ordinary 
newspaper  has  one  public  whose  predominant  interest 
is  business ;  others  who  are  concerned  primarily  with 
politics,  finance,   housekeeping,  sports. 

It  is  important  that  an  editor  should  have  a  "good. ' 
working  knowledge"  of  his  constituents.    If  his  paper  / 
is  a  small  one,  this  is  comparatively  easy.     He  need  i 
only  look  up  and  down  the  street.    If  it  is  a  metropo-  \ 
litan  paper,  he  can  learn  much  by  personal  observa- 
tion and   something  through  the  circulation   depart- 
ment.    He  should  make  it  his  business  to  meet  his 
various  publics,  not  only  mind  to  mind  in  the  editorial 
column,  but  face  to  face  in  the  business  office,  store, 
club,  shops,  streets. 

Beware  of  a  Narrow  Policy. — Some  editors  ex- 
press the  belief  that  it  is  a  waste  of  time  to  write  for 
any  other  than  what  they  call  the  ruling  class.  To 
their  minds  public  opinion  and  public  policies  are 
shaped  by  a  numerically  small  group  of  educated  and 
thoughtful  people.  Some  editors  write  almost  ex- 
clusively for  this  public,  well  aware  that  they  are  go- 
ing over  the  heads  of  the  majority  of  those  who  buy 
the  paper.       Possiby  this  narrow  policy  returns  a 

31 


THE  EDITORIAL 

greater  amount  of  personal  satisfaction  to  the  editor 
than  a  more  democratic  plan.  But  it  seems  hardly 
to  meet  the  newspaper  ideal  of  "the  greatest  useful- 
ness." 

It  seems  hardly  fair  to  the  community.  In  a  democ- 
racy, it  is  difficult  to  see  how  a  conscientious  editor 
can  accept  and  labor  to  perpetuate  an  aristocracy  of 
goverftment.  His  aim  should  be  rather  to  stimulate 
participation  in  public  affairs  on  the  part  of  the  un- 
educated and  relatively  unthinking  classes  as  well  as 
the  better  informed.  Whether  or  not  he  goes  to  the 
length  of  attempting  to  popularize  his  columns  by 
typographical  expedients  for  making  them  easier  to 
read — a  matter  which  is  discussed  in  another  chapter 
— he  may  at  least  popularize  them  somewhat  through 
his  choice  of  subjects.  Instead  of  a  contemptuous  at- 
titude opposed  to  "writing  for  the  mob,"  he  may  well 
regard  it  as  worth  while  to  write  for  the  citizen  and 
the  human  being  of  whatever  estate.  No  editorial 
office  can  safely  discard  the  democratic  spirit. 

More  and  more,  also,  account  will  be  taken  of  the 
woman  reader  and  the  interests  which  are  peculiarly 
hers. 

The  Mystery  of  Public  Opinion. — The  editor's 
study  of  his  public  includes  investigation  of  the  elu- 
sive phenomenon  called  public  opinion.  The  vocation 
of  editorial  writing  is  a  continuous  course  in  applied 
psychology.  The  psychology  of  the  "mob  mind"  has 
received  exhaustive  treatment  at  the  hands  of  scien- 
tific observers,  and  since  it  constitutes  one  phase  of 
the  phenomenon  of  public  opinion,  it  is  worth  the 

32 


THE  EDITOR  AND  HIS  READERS 

attention  of  any  one  dealing  with  the  collective  mind 
of  society. 

There  are  two  sides  to  the  editor's  interest  in  the 
subject  of  public  opinion.  First,  by  what  influences 
it  is  created,  strengthened,  or  guided.  Second,  by 
what  means  and  how  accurately  public  opinion  on 
any  given  question  may  be  measured. 

Observation  along  the  line  of  the  first  problem  soon 
reveals  its  extreme  difficulty.  Nothing  flares  up  more 
suddenly, — often  unexpectedly, — subsides  more  quick- 
ly, is  more  volatile,  than  the  interest  or  conviction  of 
the  public  regarding  any  of  its  concerns.  On  the  other 
hand,  nothing  is  more  stubborn  and  relentless  than  is 
this  same  public  opinion  at  times.  But  it  is  a  publicist 
of  very  poor  metal  who  despairs  of  approximating 
an  understanding  of  these  subtle  forces.  No  editor 
can  afford  to  be  indifferent  to  them,  or  neglect  any 
opportunity  for  their  study.  A  practical  understand- 
ing of  the  editorial  as  a  force  is  the  only  object  in 
trying  to  master  the  editorial  as  a  form. 

Hard  to  Read  the  Public  Mind. — With  regard  to 
the  second  problem,  the  accurate  measuring  of  pub- 
lic opinion,  there  is  even  less  hope  of  dependable  re- 
sults. On  a  great  question  before  the  public,  such,  for 
example,  as  the  question  of  whether  or  not  the  United 
States  should  enter  the  League  of  Nations,  men  of 
the  widest  experience  in  reading  the  public  mind  held 
diametrically  opposite  views  as  to  the  attitude  of  the 
American  people.  The  amazing  mistakes  made  by 
skilled  politicians  and  statesmen  in  attempting  to 
gauge  the  effect  of  a  political  maneuver,  contribute 

33 


THE  EDITORIAL 

further  evidence  as  to  the  extreme  difficulty  of  the 
problem.  It  would  be  foolish,  however,  to  deny  that 
many  men — many  editors — judge  correctly  the  atti- 
tude of  the  public  much  oftener  than  incorrectly.  In- 
deed there  are  men  whose  success  in  foreseeing  the  re- 
actions of  the  public  to  certain  stimuli  wins  for  them 
the  reputation  of  having  a  special  sense  of  almost  un- 
canny keenness.  However  that  may  be,  it  would  be 
a  poor  sort  of  editor  who  did  not  devote  his  best 
powers  to  acquiring  facility  in  reading  the  thoughts 
of  the  public.  He  will  early  learn  not  to  be  misled 
by  the  clamor  of  those  who  take  issue  with  him  on 
some  question.  Those  who  approve  are  silent:  those 
who  disapprove  are  noisy.  It  is  one  of  the  unhappy 
features  of  editorial  work  that  those  who  like  what 
the  editor  says  rarely  tell  him  so.  People  have  an 
unfortunate  diffidence  about  expressing  appreciation. 

Almost  Wears  a  Halo. — One  of  the  advantages 
that  an  editor  has  in  his  dealings  with  the  public  is 
the  fact  that  he  will  be  "institutionalized"  by  his  read- 
ers even  though  he  is  editor  of  only  a  small  paper 
and  is  personally  known  to  many.  The  debate  as  to 
the  relative  advantages  and  disadvantages  of  the  per- 
sonal journalism  of  the  past — persisting  to-day  in  the 
country  press — or  the  institutional  journalism  of  our 
cities,  does  not  concern  us  here.  But,  as  to  the  stand- 
ing of  the  editorial  writer,  big  or  little,  it  can  hardly 
be  questioned  that  his  authority  is  augmented  by  the 
prestige  of  the  business  institution  and  news  institu- 
tion from  which  proceeds  the  paper  itself. 

Newspapers  take  full  advantage  of  this  fact,  as  in 
34 


THE  EDITOR  AND  HIS  READERS 

the  case  of  a  New  York  paper  which,  when  severely 
criticized  by  a  President  of  the  United  States,  repHed 
merely,  "The  President  is  an  incident  in  American  his- 
tory; this  paper  is  an  institution." 

Sources  of  Prestige. — An  interesting  study  might 
be  made  of  the  psychological  basis  for  the  prestige  of 
a  newspaper  as  an  institution: 

1.  Size  of  its  organization*  has  something  to  do 
with  it:  the  human  mind  is  always  impressed  by  big- 
ness and  complexity. 

2.  Magnificence  of  its  visible  property  is  another 
element:  it  is  very  difficult  to  get  the  point  of  view 
of  some  publishers  that  a  newspaper  plant  is  merely 
a  factory  and  should  be  located  where  land  values 
are  lower  than  at  a  conspicuous  site  in  the  heart  of 
the  town  or  city. 

3.  The  newspaper  itself  is  a  contributing  factor 
— its  size,  age,  and  history  of  achievement. 

4.  The  number  of  its  readers  means  much  as  to 
its  impressiveness :  curiously  enough,  our  respect  for 
what  we  read  is  increased  in  direct  ratio  to  the  num- 
ber of  others  we  think  of  as  reading  it.  In  other 
words,  the  readers  themselves  contribute  to  the  pres- 
tige which  the  newspaper  has  for  them.  This  is  what 
is  meant  by  the  psychology  of  print :  print  impresses 
us  because  of  its  possibilities  of  human  appeal.  Or,  as 
Rollo  Ogden,  editor  of  the  New  York  Evening  Post, 
puts  it,  "As  the  speaker  gets  from  his  hearers  in  mist 
what  he  gives  back  in  shower,  so  the  newspaper  re- 
ceives from  the  public  as  well  as  gives  to  it.  Too 
often  it  gets  as  dust  what  it  gives  back  as  mud,  but 

35 


THE  EDITORIAL 

that  does  not  alter  the  relation.  Action  and  reaction 
are  all  the  while  going  on  between  the  press  and  its 
patrons."  This  basis  for  an  editor's  prestige  is  im- 
portant even  in  the  case  of  the  personal  journalism 
of  rural  communities. 

Backing  the  Editor  Needs. — In  order  to  have  a 
fair  chance  with  the  public,  an  editor  must  have  back 
of  him  a  newspaper  which  is  a  fit  vehicle  for  editorial 
writing  having  distinctive  characteristics. 

1.  It  must  be  a  well-fed  newspaper,  not  an  object 
of  charity.  It  is  contrary  to  human  nature  to  respect 
very  deeply  the  opinions  of  any  man  whose  attempts 
at  business  success  have  failed.  In  many  cases,  this  is, 
of  course,  a  most  unfair  judgment.  Current  jokes 
notwithstanding,  it  is  literally  true  that  men  best  able 
to  give  good  advice  on  financial  problems  of  the  state 
or  nation  are,  in  some  cases,  failures  in  managing  their 
own  financial  affairs.  But  the  judgment  of  the  public 
takes  little  account  of  exceptions.  The  editor  of  the 
small  newspaper  who  expects  to  have  his  opinions  on 
street  paving,  pool  halls,  taxes,  religion,  or  politics 
seriously  considered  must  have  demonstrated  the 
soundness  of  his  judgments  in  matters  affecting  his 
own  personal  interests.  There  are  noteworthy  excep- 
tions, but  the  rule  holds.  Often  the  best  means  of 
improving  the  editorial  character  of  a  run-down  news- 
paper is  to  give  the  editor  a  course  of  training  in  cost 
finding  and  business  management. 

2.  In  order  to  have  a  fair  chance  that  what  he  says 
editorially  will  have  its  due  weight,  the  editor's  news- 
paper must  have  decent,  or  better,  standards  in  its 

36 


THE  EDITOR  AND  HIS  READERS 

handling  of  news  and  advertising.  Nothing  so  quickly 
compromises  the  influence  of  a  newspaper  as  dishon- 
esty and  unfairness  in  handling  the  news.  No  newspa- 
per's readers  fail  to  detect  a  policy  of  news  suppress- 
ion or  news  coloring.  It  is  almost  pathetic  to  see  a 
great  newspaper  attempting  to  fool  its  public  by  these 
means.  However  excellent  the  editorial  page  of  such 
a  paper,  it  has  little  chance  of  winning  public  esteem. 
Moreover,  the  taint  from  an  untruthful  or  indecent 
advertisement,  no  matter  in  what  part  of  the  paper, 
penetrates  to  the  editorial  page.  The  whole  matter 
may  be  expressed  by  paraphrasing  a  classical  retort: 
I  cannot  hear  what  that  paper  says  editorially  because 
of  what  it  is  in  its  news  and  advertising. 

3.  To  be  forceful  editorially,  a  newspaper  must 
have  purposes  visible  to  the  public,  beyond  the  com- 
mercial purpose  of  selling  news  and  advertising.  This 
principle  is  not  contradictory  to  the  one  given  that  a 
newspaper  must  be  successful  in  a  business  way. 
Only  the  successful  newspaper  can  afford  the  luxury 
of  aims  that  transcend  the  commercial  plane.  It  is  the 
paper  which  has  demonstrated  to  its  public  that  it  will 
suflFer  financial  loss  rather  than  compromise  a  prin- 
ciple; that  it  will  adopt  policies  that  do  not  pay  in 
money;  that  it  will  spend  its  own  money  to  further 
objects  which  it  is  recommending  to  its  public — only 
such  a  newspaper  affords  its  editor  a  chance  to  speak 
without  having  his  sincerity  and  unselfishness  ques- 
tioned. 

4.  Very  closely  allied  with  the  preceding  is  the  re- 
quirement that,  to  give  its  editor  the  point  of  vantage 

37 


THE  EDITORIAL 

which  he  deserves,  the  ownership  of  a  newspaper  must 
not  be  subservient  to  selfish  or  partisan  or  political  in- 
terests. Perhaps  it  is  going  too  far  to  say  that  the 
editors  of  a  party  organ  cannot  wield  a  great  influ- 
ence. It  would  be  foolish  to  deny  that,  during  the 
last  century,  they  were  the  most  influential  of  all  edi- 
tors. But  tendencies  in  journalism  show  clearly  that 
great  advantages  are  possessed  by  the  paper  which  is, 
to  a  considerable  degree  at  least,  independent  of  party 
affiliations.  It  is  maintained  by  some  that  there  is  a 
sharp  distinction  here  between  metropolitan  and 
country  journalism;  that  while  city  papers  need  poli- 
tical independence  the  small-town  paper  must  have 
back  of  it  an  organized  group  such  as  a  political  party 
— a  nucleus  of  support.  It  is  difficult  to  see  the  force 
of  this  distinction  further  than  that  it  describes  a  pres- 
ent condition  but  an  obsolescent  one.  The  growth  of 
independent  journalism  has  been  more  rapid  in  large 
than  in  small  communities,  but  it  is  impossible  not  to 
believe  that  independence  in  politics  is  bound  to  in- 
crease steadily  among  country  newspapers. 

5.  It  goes  without  discussion  that  an  editor  can 
make  his  voice  heard  only  when  the  ownership  of  the 
paper  has  no  selfish  interests  in  conflict  with  the  pub- 
lic interest.  Competent  observers  have  reported  that 
in  this  respect  conditions  in  journalism  are  deteriorat- 
ing ;  that,  more  and  more,  the  owners  of  newspapers — 
large  newspapers — as  a  natural  result  of  their  great 
financial  resources  are  more  frequently  than  formerly 
found  among  the  stockholders  in  public  service  cor- 
porations, financial  institutions  subject  to  public  reg^- 

38 


THE  EDITOR  AND  HIS  READERS 

lations,  and  real  estate  exploitation  schemes.  If  this 
is  true,  it  forebodes  an  evil  day  for  metropolitan  jour- 
nalism. And  it  helps  to  explain  the  astonishing  lack 
of  influence  of  the  metropolitan  press,  as  sometimes 
betrayed  in  city  elections. 

Taking  an  Inventory. — Assuming,  then,  that  the 
editor  appreciates  the  importance  of  understanding  his 
public  and  has  attained  a  reasonable  degree  of  such 
understanding,  and  assuming  that  his  newspaper  is  a 
suitable  medium  through  which  to  reach  the  public,  he 
has  a  reasonable  chance  of  succeeding  in  his  work : 

1.  If  he  can  learn  to  pick  out  of  the  day's  jumble 
the  significant  things  suitable  for  editorial  handling. 

2.  If  he  can  sense  maladjustments  where  every- 
thing is  apparently  going  smoothly. 

3.  If  he  can  appreciate  excellencies  that  others  are 
too  busy  or  too  obtuse  to  see. 

4.  If  his  indignation  kindles  at  the  injustice 
ignored  by  the  dulled  sensibilities  of  the  crowd. 

5.  If  he  can  look  beyond  the  present  fact  to  its 
consequences  a  generation  ahead. 

6.  If  he  has  enough  philosophy  of  life  to  insure 
fundamental  consistency  in  the  positions  he  takes. 

7.  If  he  is  "historically  minded" — possesses  a  his- 
torical perspective. 

8.  If  he  can  break  bonds  of  inertia  in  which  most 
people  lie  helpless. 

9.  If  he  can  pass  by  the  non-essentials  of  a  sub- 
ject to  the  real  heart  of  the  matter. 

10.  If  he  knows  when  and  how  to  be  severe,  kind- 
ly, ironical,  gay,  sentimental,  brilliant,  serious. 

39 


THE  EDITORIAL 

11.  If  he  can  adjust  subject  to  reader,  putting  the 
right  thing  first,  and  the  right  thing  last. 

12.  If  he  knows  people  well  enough  to  be  chari- 
table. 

13.  If  he  has  the  instincts  of  an  artist  to  guide  him 
in  judging  when  a  piece  of  editorial  work  is  well  done. 

14.  If  he  has  learned  how  to  go  to  nature  for  re- 
newal of  courage  and  broadening  of  sympathies. 

15.  If,  through  a  sense  of  humor  or  any  other 
means,  he  has  developed  a  balanced  sanity  as  regards 
his  own  importance. 

16.  If  he  is  strong  enough  so  that  he  may  safely  let 
his  readers  see  that  he  doesn't  believe  all  truth  to  be 
on  his  side  and  all  error  on  the  other  side. 

17.  If,  in  the  words  of  Charles  Dana,  he  is  "orig- 
inal, strong,  and  bold  enough  to  make  his  opinions  a 
matter  of  consequence  to  the  public." 

18.  If,  in  addition  to  being  such  well-known  things 
as  honest,  independent,  public  spirited  and  well  in- 
formed, he  is  also  in  dead  earnest  as  to  the  profes- 
sional nature  of  his  relations  to  the  community. 

19.  If  he  knows  when  to  stay  "on  the  fence"  and 
when  to  get  off,  and  can  do  both  courageously. 

20.  If  he  realizes  that  fads  and  hobbies  are  only 
the  "poor  relations"  of  principles  and  policies. 

21.  If  he  can  keep  balance  between  his  national 
and  his  world  viewpoints. 

22.  If  he  has  enough  "keel"  so  that  he  can  change 
his  course,  even  in  a  stiff  breeze,  without  capsizing. 

23.  If  he  likes  people  well  enough  to  enjoy  seeing 

40 


THE  EDITOR  AND  HIS  READERS 

them  happy  and  to  help  make  them  happy,  even  if  he 
has  to  make  them  discontented  first. 

24.  If  he  is  not  too  hungry  for  popularity  nor  too 
much  above  caring  for  it. 

25.  If  he  is  free  from  the  itch  for  office — no  mat- 
ter if  it  is  true  that  there  are  usually  fifty  editors  in 
Congress.  He  might  make  an  admirable  official,  but 
not  while  being  a  good  editor. 

26.  If  he  can  make  the  important  international 
question  seem  as  real  as  the  local  contest  for  the  post- 
office. 

27.  If  he  can  take  stock  of  himself  once  in  a  while, 
using  tests  such  as  these  "ifs"  for  inventory  purposes, 
without  having  his  spontaniety  inhibited  by  over-self- 
consciouSness. 

To  the  discussion  of  some  of  these  "ifs"  and  their 
consequences  succeeding  chapters  will  be  devoted. 


CHAPTER  IV 
MATERIALS  FOR  EDITORIALS 

,  At  first  thought,  it  seems  that  if  the  editor  has  any 
difficulties  with  material,  they  will  be  difficulties  of 
selection,  not  of  discovery.  Unlike  the  news  writer, 
whose  sphere  is  limited  to  the  world  of  events,  he  can 
go  anywhere  for  his  subjects — to  current  history,  to 
philosophy,  to  esthetics,  to  ethics,  to  religion.  And  yet 
this  advantage  in  breadth  of  field  does  not  make  his 
task  an  easier  one  than  the  news  writer's.  It  is,  in 
fact,  much  harder.  There  are  editors  to  whom  the 
thought  of  the  gaping  columns  to  be  filled  day  after 
day  becomes  a  nightmare. 

The  Reporter's  Work  and  the  Editor's.— The 
editor  who  finds  himself  writing  without  any  prelim- 
inary hard  labor  in  gathering  materials  may  well  be 
suspicious  as  to  the  merit  of  his  work.  Partisan  poli- 
tics is  the  lazy  editor's  refuge.  It  enables  him  to  fill 
numberless  columns  easily,  but  often  vainly. 

The  old-fashioned  editorial  page  was  almost  wholly - 
political  and  it  must  be  admitted  that  it  had  a  certain 
virility.    But  it  outlived  its  usefulness,  and  in  so  do- 
ing did  much  to  depreciate  editorial  influence. 

The  pitfall  of  the  reporter  who  becomes  an  editorial 
writer  is  the  expectation  that  he  can  write  editorials 

42 


•MATERIALS  FOR  EDITORIALS 

as  readily  as  he  has  been  in  the  habit  of  writings  news 
stories.  As  a  reporter  he  learned  to  gather  facts  and 
record  them,  accurately,  tersely,  vividly.  He  was  not 
much  more  than  a  conduit  of  information.  Little  or 
nothing  of  himself  went  into  the  story^-that  would 
have  ruined  his  usefulness  as  a  reporter.  The  instant 
he  acquired  all  the  available  facts,  he  was  ready  to 
write. 

These  things  are  not  true  of  the  editorial  writer.  It 
is  most  unfortunate  if  he  expects  to  write  easily. 
When  he  has  gathered  the  facts  about  an  event — all 
the  facts  that  the  reporter  needs — it  is  probable  that 
he  has  taken  only  the  first  step  in  his  labor  of  amassing 
material.  He  must  have  recourse  to  sources  for 
which  the  reporter,  as  a  reporter,  cares  nothing — al- 
though it  is  quite  true  that  the  reporter  will  be  a  better 
equipped  man,  and  a  better  reporter,  if  his  informa- 
tion and  culture  go  beyond  the  mere  working  require- 
ments of  his  craft. 

However,  the  editorial  Avriter  is,  in  a  sense,  a  re- 
porter-^a  reporter  on  Truth — with  the  same  need  to 
verify  information,  to  be  sure  he  is  right,  to  be  ac-  ( 
curate  in  every  detail. 

The  Editorial  Goes  Far  Beyond  the  News  Story. 
— Most  editorials  are  suggested  by  the  news  of  the 
day.  Even  if  they  are  not  always  discussions  of  cur- 
rent events,  they  have  timeliness,  as  a  rule,  in  the 
sense  of  being  related  to  some  subject  already  above 
*the  threshold  of  public  consciousness.  Just  as  the  re- 
porter finds  it  desirable  sometimes  to  seek  a  "peg"  on 
which  to  hang  his  news  story,  so  the  editorial  writer  is 

43 


44 


■MATERIALS  FOR  EDITORIALS 

most  confident  of  being  read  when  he  can  hang  his 
discussion  upon  a  "peg"  of  present  interest. 

Broadly  speaking,  an  editorial  includes  some  or  all 
of  the  facts  of  the  news  story  plus  associated  facts, 
opinions  as  to  the  prophecy  or  threat  hidden  in  the 
fact,  emotional  elements,  purposes,  moral  qualities, 
tone,  style,  service  value. 

Illustrations  of  these  distinctions  can  be  found  in 
almost  any  issue  of  any  newspaper.  For  example,  a 
news  story  related  the  facts  as  to  the  death  of  a  young 
woman  in  Philadelphia  and  told  of  her  gift  of  $i,ooo 
to  the  Philadelphia  orchestra.  Some  time  afterwards 
an  editorial  appeared  in  the  Public  Ledger : 

THE  GIRL  AND  THE  MILLION- 
AIRE 

Facts  in  the  News  Story 

A  girl  recently  passed  away  in  Phila- 
delphia and  in  her  will  was  found  a 
bequest  of  $iooo  for  the  Philadelphia 
Orchestra. 

Associated  Facts 

Three  weeks'  later  a  New  York  mil- 
lionaire passed  away  and  left  millions 
of  dollars  for  the  furtherance  of  music. 

Significance  of  the  Facts 

While  there  was  a  great  difference 
in  the  amounts  involved,  the  girl  and 
the  millionaire  had  a  oneness  of  pur- 
pose ;  to  perpetuate  a  force  in  our  lives 
that  the  war  has  made  us  feel  for  the 
first  time  in  a  way  that  we  never 
dreamed  of. 

45 


THE  EDITORIAL 

Broader  Aspects  of  the  Subject 

Before  the  war  music  was  an  adjunct 
in  our  lives.  Then  our  boys  went  to 
the  camps  and  over  to  France,  and  we 
realized  the  truth  of  Major  General 
Bell's  aphorism  that  "a  singing  nation 
is  a  winning  nation."  We  began  to 
realize  that  music  was  something  more 
than  a  mere  art  of  the  dilettante  or 
the  cultured ;  we  saw  in  it  a  force.  Our 
soldiers  felt  it  and  we  who  remained 
at  home  felt  it.  Our  boys  literally  sang 
their  way  to  victory  and  the  home  army 
sang  as  they  worked.  Every  home  sud- 
denly realized  and  felt  the  power  of 
music.  Men  who  had  a  respect  for 
music,  but  nothing  more,  grasped  the 
power  that  lay  in  the  musical  score  and 
the  work  that  is  sung.  And  as  our  re- 
turning soldiers  are  already  demanding 
that  they  shall  have  music  at  home  as 
they  had  in  the  camps,  it  is  a  conserva- 
tive statement  which  prophesies  that  the 
pre-war  status  of  music  in  America  will 
never  return. 

Interpretative  Comment 

Already  the  indications  in  Philadel- 
phia point  to  the  truth  of  this  prophecy. 
The  management  of  the  Philadelphia 
Orchestra  reports  an  unprecedented  de- 
mand for  season  tickets  for  the  com- 
ing winter's  concerts,  pointing  to  audi- 
ences that  will  test  the  capacity  of  the 
Academy  of  Music. 

Applying     Facts    with     Purpose    to 
Benefit  the  Life  of  the  City 

But  we  must  go  farther  than  this, 
and  both  the  Philadelphia  girl  and  the 
New  York  millionaire  have  shown  us 
the  way.  We  should  strengthen  and 
perpetuate  those   institutions   that   will 

46 


MATERIALS  FOR  EDITORIALS 

insure  good  music,  not  only  now,  but 
for  our  children.  In  Philadelphia  this 
naturally  takes  the  form  of  perpetuat- 
ing our  orchestra,  now  the  first  of 
symphony  orchestras  in  America.  To 
leave  a  bequest  to  an  orchestra  does 
not  occur  to  many  of  us  when  we  make 
our  wills.     But  it  should. 

Appeal  to  Moral  Sense  of  Usefulness 

Hundreds  there  are  in  this  city  who 
could  leave  a  bequest  as  modest  as  did 
this  far-seeing  girl  to  the  orchestra; 
scores  there  are  to  whom  five  or  ten 
thousand  dollars  would  be  an  easy  pos- 
sibility for  such  a  bequest.  Few  be- 
quests are  more  permanent,  because  the 
money  is  never  spent ;  it  is  conserva- 
tively invested  and  only  the  interest  is 
spent  on  the  orchestra.  So  that  year 
after  year  our  money  goes  on  working 
for  our  children  and  our  children's  chil- 
dren, making  possible  to  them  a  force 
in  our  daily  lives,  the  power  and  po- 
tentiality of  which  we  are  only  now 
beginning  to  grasp.  We  cannot  leave 
a  more  beautiful  legacy  for  our  chil- 
dren as  was  so  wisely  seen  by  the  girl 
and  the  millionaire. 


A  Question  of  the  Right  Proportion. — i.  Read- 
ing, of  course,  is  the  editor's  primary  source  of  ma- 
terial. And  of  all  reading,  the  most  obvious  sort  is 
newspaper  reading.  Not  only  must  he  read,  but  he 
must  systematically  store  the  facts  of  current  history 
so  as  to  have  a  well  organized  knowledge  of  events 
longitudinally,  as  they  evolve,  and  transversely,  in  all 
their  complex  relations.  In  other  words,  either  in  a 
memory  daybook  and  ledger,  or  by  some  more  reliable 

47 


THE  EDITORIAL 

recording  and  filing  system,  he  must  keep  open  ac- 
counts with  aflfairs. 

Bookeeping  the  News. — One  editor  has  developed 
a  method  which  he  calls  bookkeeping  the  news.  He 
actually  enters,  in  what  might  be  called  his  daybook, 
brief  memoranda  of  significant  events,  beginning  each 
entry  with  its  appropriate  catch  word.  From  time  to 
time  he  transfers  these  notes  to  a  larger  record,  col- 
lecting into  one  "account"  the  memoranda  bearing  on 
any  one  subject.  This  latter  book  is  his  current  his- 
tory ledger.  In  it  he  maintains  accounts  with  public 
men,  with  national  issues,  sucn  as  organized  labor,  the 
tariff,  and  immigration,  and  with  matters  of  local  in- 
terest. 

More  flexible  mechanically  is  a  card  index  system. 
Superior  as  a  labor  saying  method  is  an  envelope  sys- 
tem. Any  one  can  Work  these  devices  out  for  him- 
self. The  exact  method  used  is  unimportant.  The 
vital  thing  is  that  the  editorial  writer,  unless  he  has  a 
truly  phenomenal  memory,  should  make  use  of  some 
convenient  means  for  keeping  available  an  adequate 
fund  of  information  on  current  affairs.  The  public  has 
a  short  memory,  the  editor  must  have  a  long  one.  The 
public  judges  the  direction  in  which  events  are  moving 
by  a  survey  based  on  the  happenings  of  a  few  weeks 
or  a  few  months ;  the  editor  must  have  a  much  greater 
perspective.  He  must  be  able,  as  it  were,  to  plot  the 
curve  of  any  developing  incident  or  movement  in  so- 
cial or  political  affairs  with  a  certainty  that  consti- 
tutes him  something  of  a  prophet.    An  editorial  page 

48       ._ 


•MATERIALS  FOR  EDITORIALS 

informed  from  such  a  systematic  storehouse  is  en- 
riched thereby  beyond  all  danger  of  superficiality. 

From  inquiries  answered  by  more  than  one  hundred 
editors — mostly  outside  of  metropolitan  journalism — 
it  appears  that  the  reading  habits  of  many  editors  may 
be  described  as  follows: 

Ninety  per  cent  of  their  reading  time  is  devoted  to 
newspapers  and  magazines. 

Nine  per  cent  to  miscellaneous  books. 

One  per  cent  to  reference  books. 

It  is  safe  to  say  that  the  reading  habits  of  the  edi- 
tor who  is  really  meeting  his  obligations  to  the  public 
will  show  a  division  of  time  somewhat  like  this: 

Forty  per  cent,  newspapers  and  magazines. 

Forty  per  cent,  miscellaneous  books. 

Twenty  per  cent,  reference  books. 

In  metropolitan  journalism  where  editorial  writers 
are  employed  for  that  work  alone  and  are  expected  to 
become  specialists  in  certain  lines,  the  latter  schedule 
is  not  only  closely  approximated,  but  in  some  cases  im- 
proved upon  as  regards  the  proportion  of  time  de- 
voted to  reading  ephemeral  publications.  Books  that 
help  the  editor  get  at  the  heart  of  things  take  their 
rightful  place  in  the  regard  of  such  an  editor.  He 
has  adopted  one  of  the  prime  means  of  achieving  the 
right  to  lead  the  thoughts  of  his  readers. 

Needs  to  Have  Eyes  That  See. — 2.  In  gathering 
his  materials,  the  editor,  like  the  reporter,  makes  con- 
stant use  of  observation.  Training  as  a  reporter, 
which  teaches  him  to  see  things  as  they  are  and  see 
everything,  proves  invaluable.     We  have  heard  that 

49 


THE  EDITORIAL 

there  are  sermons  in  stones.  Likewise  material  for 
editorials  may  be  seen  on  every  hand  by  the  eye  of  the 
trained  reporter.  Such  a  commonplace  thing  as  dirt, 
for  example,  may  lead  the  mind  by  inevitable  associa- 
tion to  some  of  the  most  vital  economic  questions  of 
our  day. 

Without  unduly  emphasizing  the  value  of  observa- 
tion, it  may  be  said  that  the  editor  of  the  Chicago 
newspaper  who  refused  to  write  an  editorial  against 
obstruction  of  the  sidewalk  by  truck  handlers  in  the 
wholesale  district  until  he  had  gone  out  and  walked 
around  a  block  or  two  of  obstructions,  so  as  to  get  a 
vivid,  first-hand  knowledge  of  the  evil,  was  following 
the  right  principle. 

Importance  of  Reflection. — 3.  The  third  source 
of  materials  for  editorial  writing  is  reflection.  A  re- 
porter must  be  mentally  keen  and  resourceful,  he 
must  be  able  to  grasp  all  the  essentials  of  the  story 
and  to  organize  it  quickly  and  well ;  but  with  the  deep- 
er reflection  which  seeks  out  first  causes  and  ultimate 
effects  and  hidden  meanings,  he  has,  as  a  reporter, 
little  to  do.  In  the  editorial  writer  the  habit  of  reflec- 
tion often  marks  the  difference  between  pitiful  dilet- 
tantism and  a  manifest  power  of  understanding. 

People  Are  an  "Ingredient"  of  Editorials. — ^4. 
Daily  conversation  with  all  kinds  of  people  is  another 
main  source  of  editorial  ideas.  It  not  only  guides  the 
writer  to  material  that  has  lively  interest  for  his  read- 
ers, but  it  tends  to  keep  him  sane,  tolerant,  practical. 
In  this  regard  the  editor  of  the  small  paper  has  a  con- 
siderable advantage  over  his  city  colleague.    He  meets 

50 


MATERIALS  FOR  EDITORIALS 

his  public  daily  and  knows  what  they  are  thinking  and 
feeling  and  doing.  The  editor  in  a  city,  who  talks 
only  with  men  of  his  own  social  group,  almost  inevi- 
tably comes  to  write  largely  for  that  group.  In  some 
cases,  such  a  narrow  view  of  the  world  fits  in  well 
enough  with  the  policy  of  the  paper.  But  a  paper 
built  along  such  narrow  lines  is  really  more  provincial 
than  the  smallest  of  its  rural  contemporaries.  To  get 
out  among  men — all  kinds  of  men — is  one  of  the  edi- 
tor's best  rules  of  action.  Perhaps  it  is  because  the  re- 
porter's work  brings  him  into  close  relation  with  all 
sorts  of  people  that  it  is  somewhat  regarded  as  a  pre- 
requisite for  editorial  writing.  A  good  reporter  can 
hardly  become  an  a  priori  editor. 

Important  to  Have  Learned  from  Life. — 5.  Ex- 
perience, the  fifth  main  source  from  which  an  editorial 
writer  gets  his  material,  is,  of  course,  the  determining 
factor  in  what  the  editor  really  amounts  to  as  a  man. 
Through  it  he  has  evolved  a  philosophy  of  life — a 
group  of  principles  of  action,  and  a  hierarchy  of 
values— which  is  manifest  in  the  tone  and  spirit  of 
what  he  writes.  An  editor  should  be  a  real  man.  He 
should  be  humanized  and  socialized.  Experience  is 
the  large  factor  in  the  production  of  such  a  result. 
One  of  the  most  common  criticisms  made  of  the  edi- 
tor is  aimed  at  his  assumption  of  inerrancy.  Exper- 
ience should  do  much  to  lead  the  editor  away  from 
this  unfortunate  habit  of  taking  himself  too  seriously. 
His  profession  as  a  journalist  he  can  not  regard  too 
highly,  but  this  does  not  justify  his  assumption  of  an 
ex  cathedra  attitude  in  his  writing.    It  is  a  mere  truism 

51 


THE  EDITORIAL 

to  say  that  only  to  the  degree  that  he  has  experienced 
life  can  he  hope  to  throw  any  light  en  the  problems 
of  life  for  others. 

"Have  something  to  write  about,"  is  admittedly  the 
first  rule  for  an  editor.  Indeed,  some  make  the  mis- 
take of  saying  that  it  is  the  only  essential. 

Knowledge  Is  Not  All. — "The  only  preparation 
needed  by  an  editor,"  declares  one,  "is  a  thorough 
education  in  history,  economics,  sociologly,  science,  and 
literature."  It  is  fairly  clear  that  experience  does  not 
justify  such  a  view.  Knowledge  alone  does  not  make 
an  editor,  much  less  knowledge  derived  from  books 
alone.  It  cannot  be  too  often  repeated  that  the  short- 
comings of  newspaper  editorials  to-day  are  not  due  so 
much  to  a  lack  of  knowledge  as  to  a  lack  of  wisdom  in 
the  selection  and  treatment  of  subjects;  lack  of  a 
definite  purpose,  judiciously  chosen  with  the  reader  in 
mind ;  lack  of  skill  in  organization  and  actual  writing 
of  the  editorial — in  other  words,  lack  of  what  might 
rightfully  be  called  editorial  technique. 

Keeping  on  hand  a  good  stock  of  materials  for  the 
editorial  column  is  the  first  part  of  the  editor's  work, 
and  it  is  also  the  hardest  part,  often  tedious  and  time- 
consuming.  But  the  second  step  in  handling  the  ma- 
terials is  not  less  important :  the  selection  of  the  best 
subjects  from  the  mass  of  things  that  might  be  chosen. 
Doing  this  successfully  will  involve  either  a  conscious 
or  unconscious  charting  of  the  interests  of  the  typical 
reader. 

Tabulating  Readers*  Interests. — The  successful 
editor  of  a  popular  magazine  has  explained  how  he 

52 


•MATERIALS  FOR  EDITORIALS 

has  analyzed  the  interests  of  his  typical  reader  and  has 
even  drawn  a  diagram  setting  forth  graphically  all 
these  interests.  He  has  constant  reference  to  this  dia- 
gram while  he  is  laying  out  an  issue  of  his  magazine. 
He  sees  to  it  that  every  reader-interest  is  appealed  to 
in  each  number,  or  at  least  in  the  numbers  covering  a 
brief  period.  The  readers'  interests,  not  the  editor's, 
determine  the  choice  of  subjects. 

Selection  of  editorial  subjects,  then,  can  be  judi- 
ciously made  only  by  the  tests  of  reader  interests — la- 
tent, if  not  active,  interests.  If  the  editor  should 
make  a  diagrammatic  analysis  of  matters  of  chief  con- 
cern to  the  typical  reader,  he  would  probably  credit 
him  with  primary  interests  pertaining  to  his  home, 
family,  health,  business,  friends ;  and  secondary  inter- 
ests in  the  direction  of  recreation,  self  culture,  dress, 
sports,  romance,  science  and  art,  unusual  incidents,  ex- 
ceptional people.  Out  of  the  relations  of  the  individ- 
ual to  such  varied  interests  come  human  problems. 
The  education  of  the  editor  involves  painstaking  study 
in  this  field.    As  one  editor  puts  it : 

"The  topic  presenting  itself  either  for  comment  or 
discussion  may  be  important  or  unimportant  without 
being  necessarily  available  or  unavailable.  Being  an 
editorial  writer  he  instinctively  estimates  its  value  as 
a  text.  If  it  appeals  to  his  knowledge,  his  experience, 
or  his  imagination ;  if  it  awakens  memories,  provokes 
comparisons,  draws  upon  his  stored  information,  it 
matters  little  to  him  whether  it  is  intrinsically  impor- 
tant. It  is  his  business  as  an  editorial  writer  to  give 
it  an  importance,  or  at  least,  an  interest,  it  does  not 

S3 


THE  EDITORIAL 

itself  possess,  to  infuse  into  his  subject  something  ex- 
tracted from  his  own  intellectual  vitality." 

Road  Signs  That  Point  the  Way. — Wise  selec- 
tion of  materials  for  editorial  subjects,  also  requires 
consideration  of  such  questions  as  these: 

1.  Is  too  much  or  too  little  emphasis  being  placed 
on  subjects  of  merely  local  interest,  state  interest,  na- 
tional, world  ?  Doubtless  the  proper  proportion  to  be 
maintained  in  each  realm  varies  from  day  to  day.  At 
critical  periods  in  the  World  War  all  editorials  for 
days  at  a  stretch  dealt  only  with  the  one  subject  in  the 
public  mind.  Similarly,  a  crisis  in  local  affairs  may 
cause  a  swing  in  that  direction.  But  under  normal 
conditions,  the  editor  has  opportunity  to  see  that  no 
important  field  is  neglected. 

2.  Is  the  element  of  timeliness  strong  enough  in 
the  editorial  page?  Happily  this  part  of  the  news- 
paper has  enjoyed  a  degree  of  emancipation  from  the 
ruinous  dominance  of  Speed.  It  is  not  likely  that  any 
newspaper  ever  boasted  of  having  scored  an  editorial 
"beat"  on  its  competitors.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  it 
may  become  more  and  more  the  distinguishing  merit 
of  the  editorial  page  that  it  delays  comment  until 
comment  can  be  informed  by  sound  and  deliberate 
judgment.  Nevertheless  it  would  be  a  foolish  editor 
who  would  undervalue  timeliness. 

3.  Is  tTiere  variety  enough  of  editorial  subjects  to 
satisfy  a  wide  diversity  of  tastes?  Is  the  apportion- 
ment of  space  among  them  judicious  ?  Is  there  a  suc- 
cessful balancing  of  information,  interpretation,  argu- 
ment, persuasion,  and  entertainment?    Or  at  least,  is 

54 


8bf  Owning  lPo|l,  2 


Mto  r«i*.  fctar**. 


I  ta  Jul  V**  t-^mmp*^       *• 


'mjmcutrTiwttiuts  »r  hail 


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aS> 


^£jy:;?« 


THE  KANSAS  CITY  POST 


f  THE    FOfTS    ntOCIUM    P0«    KAIOA»   OTT  ^ 

1  ^»   •— ;-  ^  "^  «~-,  ,  •  •  lis?* 

MeADOO    AND  THE   PRKSTOKNCT.  '  ~rl 


Some  Newspapers   Have  "Platforms"   in  their  "Flags." 

55 


THE  EDITORIAL 

the  absence  of  any  such  balance  justified  by  a  good 
reason  ? 

4.  Are  the  paper's  policies  being  clearly  defined 
from  day  to  day?  Some  papers  think  it  a  good  plan 
to  print  at  the  head  of  the  editorial  column  a  list  of 
the  principal  objects  for  which  the  paper  is  striving. 
This  plan  seems  of  doubtful  expediency  because  there 
is  danger  that  it  will  seem  to  the  reader  as  though  the 
paper  is  supporting  its  projects  because  they  are  its 
projects — for  the  sake  of  winning  rather  than  for  the 
sake  of  the  common  good.  Without  any  such  ex- 
pHcit  declaration  of  principles  the  paper  may  yet  have 
its  policies  clearly  understood  as  well  as  the  reasons 
for  changes  in  policy  which,  it  is  to  be  hoped,  the  pa- 
per will  be  honest  enough  to  make,  as  occasion  is  sure 
to  demand. 

5.  Is  there  a  proper  correlation  with  the  paper's 
own  news  columns  and,  possibly,  also  with  the  col- 
umns of  contributed  opinion? 

6.  Is  the  discussion  of  an  important  topic  kept 
going  from  day  to  day  when  advisable,  but  not  beyond 
the  limit  of  interest?  This  lends  to  the  page  a  quality 
of  steadiness  and  consistency.  Seldom  is  any  edi- 
torial to  be  considered  as  an  independent  unit  but  as 
having  relation  to  something  that  was  printed  before 
and  to  something  that  will  be  printed  afterwards. 
Events  are  not  isolated,  but  are  arranged  in  series 
bound  together  by  causal  or  other  relations.  Editorial 
opinions  on  events  need  to  have,  from  day  to  day,  a 
manifest  continuity. 

7.  Are  there  elements  of  humor,  sentiment,  beau- 

56 


•MATERIALS  FOR  EDITORIALS 

ty,  ethical  truth  ?  Osman  C  Hooper,  of  the  Columbus 
(Ohio)  Dispatch,  relates  how,  before  the  human  in- 
terest editorial  became  common,  an  Ohio  editor  was 
so  unconventional,  in  one  issue  of  his  paper,  as  to  pub- 
lish a  description  of  a  gorgeous  sunset. 

"That  editorial  was  printed  in  the  Ohio  Statesman, 
May  II,  1853.  It  created  a  sensation.  It  was  a  gem 
shining  out  of  the  mud  and  commonplace  of  politics. 
But  the  Ohio  State  Journal  republished  it  with  anno- 
tations intended  to  ridicule  it.  A  Circleville  editor 
wrote  a  parody  of  it,  which  he  called  'A  Great  Old 
Henset.'  Other  papers  took  it  up  and  a  wave  of  de- 
risive laughter  swept  the  state.  It  was  a  lead  that  too 
few  editors  could  follow,  and  none  of  them  had  the 
vision  of  universal  service;  they  were  all  writing 
about  politics  and  politicians  and  they  did  not  mean  to 
be  pulled  out  of  the  rut.  Somebody  dubbed  Mr.  Cox 
'Sunset,'  and  the  sobriquet  became  so  much  of  a  fix- 
ture that,  no  doubt,  a  great  many  people  to  this  day 
think  that  his  initials,  'S.  S.'  stand  for  'Sunset.'  There 
is  reason  to  be  thankful  that  conditions  like  that  do 
not  now  exist." 

8.  Is  the  tone  of  the  page  sufficiently  virile?  Is  it 
optimistic?    Is  it  wholly  in  good  taste? 

These  are  some  of  the  guiding  principles  in  the 
choice  of  materials.  When  the  editor  has  found 
where  his  materials  are  to  be  found,  how  to  collect 
them,  and  how  to  choose  judiciously,  he  has  traveled  a 
long  way  toward  successful  writing. 

The  Scope  of  Editorials. — It  is  interesting  and 
enlightening,  though  not  particularly  helpful  in  a  prac- 

57 


THE  EDITORIAL 

tical  way,  to  make  an  examination  of  editorial  pages 
to  discover  the  sources  of  the  materials  used. 

The  superficial  type  contains  nothing  but  what  has 
been  gleaned  from  the  run  of  the  news  or  the  talk 
of  the  streets  or  clubs.  Hardly  anything  in  it  is  be- 
yond the  abilities  of  a  high  school  senior.  It  may  be 
pointed  and  clever,  but  it  is  uniformly  shallow.  The 
editor  is  obviously  opposed  to  deep-shaft  mining. 

The  deeper  or  more  solid  type  is  distinguished  from 
the  superficial  by  the  fact  that  some'  of  its  materials 
are  drawn  from  history  and  from  literature,  from  pro- 
found reflection,  rich  experience,  broad  humanized 
philosophy. 

A  similar  survey  as  to  the  scope  of  the  materials 
will  reveal  striking  variations  in  the  proportion  of 
local  subjects,  state,  regional,  national,  foreign,  world, 
general.  Such  a  survey  made  during  a  period  in  the 
fall  of  1919,  showed  in  several  metropolitan  papers 
the  following  average  proportions :  local,  8  per  cent ; 
state,  3 ;  regional,  i ;  national,  75 ;  foreign,  2 ;  world, 
6;  general,  5.  In  several  rural  papers  for  the  same 
period  the  average  percentages  were :  local,  20 ;  state, 
9;  regional,  i;  national,  45;  foreign,  i;  world,  15; 
general,  9.  In  both  groups  of  papers  were  found  ex- 
treme cases  in  which  only  one  class  of  subjects  was 
treated,  the  most  anomalous  case  being  that  of  a  small 
weekly  which  carried  three  and  one-half  columns — 
nine  editorials — all  on  national  or  foreign  topics. 


CHAPTER  V 
EDITORIAL  PURPOSES 

Every  ad  writer  worthy  of  the  name,  knows  that  it 
is  possible  to  write  an  accurate  and  complete  descrip- 
tion of  an  article  or  commodity,  satisfactory  enough 
from  the  point  of  view  of  the  thing  itself,  and  yet 
almost  futile  so  far  as  sales  influence  is  concerned. 

The  same  facts  about  the  article  presented  with  the 
reader's  interest  and  need  clearly  in  mind  have  the 
desired  results. 

An  advertisement  of  raincoats,  for  example,  should 
not  be  written  with  the  purpose  of  doing  justice  to  the 
subject  of  raincoats,  but  with  the  idea  of  arousing  in 
the  mind  of  a  clearly  visualized  reader,  effective,  mov- 
ing concepts  of  the  value  for  him — service  and  satis- 
faction— in  possessing  a  raincoat. 

The  Editor  Does  Not  Write  for  Himself.— Pos- 
sibly an  artist  may,  properly  enough,  create  without 
regard  to  the  interests  or  tastes  of  the  public.  Ade- 
quate rendering  of  the  theme,  or  expression  of  his  in- 
most self,  may  be  his  sufficient  motive;  but  a  writer 
of  advertising  is  not  an  artist  in  that  sense ;  neither  is 
the  writer  of  editorials.  Both  must  write  with  con- 
stant reference  to  their  readers.  Neither  advertise- 
ments  nor   editorials  have,   ordinarily,   an   existence 

59 


THE  EDITORIAL 

longer  than  a  day  or  two.  Neither  have  any  excuse 
for  being  if  they  are  not  read  by  people  who  are  alive 
on  the  day  of  publication.  Posterity  does  not  figure 
in  the  problem. 

It  is  safe  to  say  that,  generally  speaking,  adver- 
tising is  more  judiciously  written  than  are  editorials — 
less  often  written  merely  according  to  the  tastes  of 
the  writer,  or  to  fill  space. 

The  only  excuse  for  an  editorial  on  any  given  sub- 
ject is  that  there  exist,  in  the  opinion  of  the  editor, 
possible  readers  with  whom  the  editorial  is  calculated 
to  be  effective  in  the  way  desired  and  planned. 

Merely  to  do  justice  to  the  subject  is  not  the  main 
end  in  view.  Literary  workmanship  is  a  subordinate 
aim — a  means  to  the  end,  merely.  Self-expression  as 
an  end  in  itself  must  be  regarded  as  a  luxury  which 
the  editor  should  deny  himself. 

The  effect  to  be  produced  in  the  mind  of  the  typical 
reader  furnishes  the  editorial  writer's  controlling  mo- 
tive. 

The  Reader  is  the  Editor's  Jury. — The  editor  who 
has  not  discovered  his  reader  is  in  a  position  as  absurd 
as  that  of  an  orator  oblivious  of  his  audience  or  a 
statesman  indififerent  to  his  constituents.  John  J. 
Flinn,  an  editor  of  the  Christian  Science  Monitor, 
says  of  the  editorial  writer,  "He  is  just  as  much  on 
the  platform  as  the  lecturer  while  earnestly  engaged 
upon  his  task,  and  just  as  intimately  responsive  to  the 
pervading  sentiment  of  his  audience.  It  is  not  invad- 
ing the  field  cf  psychology  or  trespassing  upon  the 
domain  of  metaphysics  to  say  that  the  writer,  whether 

60 


EDITORIAL  PURPOSES 

poet,  dramatist,  novelist,  or  journalist,  whose  heart  is 
in  his  work,  whose  thought  is  concentrated  upon  his 
art,  is  never  for  a  moment  separated  from  the  mul- 
titude he  is  addressing."  And  another  writer,  not  an 
editor,  says,  "When  I  am  working  on  a  housekeeping 
article  I  keep  the  face  of  one  of  the  best  housekeep- 
ers I  know  constantly  before  me,  and  her  clear  gaze 
seems  to  put  the  'Is  it  practical?'  test  to  everything  I 
say.  My  audience  for  anything  on  the  religious  order 
consists  of  a  clever,  wide-awake  preacher.  My  farm- 
er brother  keeps  me  from  over  much  theorizing  or 
sentimentalizing  when  I  write  of  things  truly  rural." 

Not  to  Be  Subservient. — This  does  not  mean,  of 
course,  that  the  editor  must  be  subservient  to  his 
public.  He  seeks  to  know  the  mind  and  attitude  of 
readers  not  in  order  to  conform  his  opinions  to  theirs, 
but  in  order  to  understand  how  to  achieve  the  greatest 
possible  success  in  impressing  his  ideas  upon  them. 
To  be  sure  there  will  not  always  be  antagonism  of 
ideas.  The  editor  may  often  find  it  his  sole  function 
to  utter  thoughts  that  are  in  the  minds  of  all  his  read- 
ers. This,  however,  is  an  instance  of  agreement,  not 
subserviency.  Or,  as  Arthur  Brisbane  puts  it,  with 
his  usual  concreteness : 

"Nobody  wants  to  know  what  you  think.  People  want 
to  know  what  they  think.  If  I  see  a  baby  crying  and  go 
to  tell  him  what  I  think  of  it,  that  baby  won't  listen  to 
me,  but  if  I  can  find  the  pin  that's  sticking  in  him,  I'm 
the  man  for  that  baby.  If  you  can  find  the  pin  that's 
Sticking  into  the  public,  then  you  are  the  man  for  that 

6i 


THE  EDITORIAL 

baby.    If  you  are  very  nice  about  it,  he  may  afterwards 
let  you  tell  him  a  little  of  what  you  think." 

The  paper  which  is  undertaking  the  campaign  for 
a  memorial  to  be  erected  by  the  citizens  of  the  com- 
munity in  honor  of  those  who  served  in  the  war,  must 
use  as  much  insight  in  estimating  the  obstacles  and 
aids,  prejudices  and  preferences  of  its  readers,  and 
must  employ  as  much  skill  in  maneuvering  each  step 
in  the  operation,  as  a  skillful  lawyer  uses  in  planning 
the  conduct  of  a  difficult  case  and  handling  it  before 
the  jury. 

The  editorial  "why"  furnishes  not  only  the  safest 
guide  in  writing  editorials,  but  also  a  fundamental 
basis  for  analysis  and  classification.  The  student, 
whether  he  be  in  college,  or  in  the  front  office  of  a 
country  weekly,  or  on  the  editorial  staff  of  a  metropoli- 
tan daily,  will  find  that  painstaking  study  of  the  details 
of  editorials  as  they  are,  will  have  its  greatest  value  in 
revealing  what  editorials  are  not,  thereby  making 
clearer  the  answers  to  his  questions  as  to  what  edi- 
torials should  be. 

There  are  five  main  purposes  that  govern  the  edi- 
torial writer  in  his  approach  to  the  minds  of  his  read- 
ers. Consideration  of  these  may  be  said  to  constitute 
the  psychological  aspect  of  the  editorial. 

I.  The  Simplest  Type. — It  is  the  editor's  busi- 
ness to  know  things  that  his  readers  do  not  know.  He 
has  superior  means  of  access  to  information  on  events 
of  the  day  and  he  should  also  have  superior  facilities 
for  making  requisition  on  accumulated  information  in 

62 


EDITORIAL  PURPOSES 

works  of  reference.  This  is  comparatively  easy  in 
the  case  of  the  metropolitan  newspaper  which  allows 
a  staff  of  competent  editors  to  devote  a  share  of  their 
time  to  becoming  specialists  in  different  lines. 

In  the  case  of  the  country  editor  it  is  not  so  easy. 
The  demands  on  his  time  come  from  the  print  shop, 
from  the  casual  visitor,  from  the  necessities  of  book- 
keeping, of  writing  advertisements,  of  looking  after 
subscriptions,  and  attending  meetings  of  this  or  that 
town  organization  or  committee.  Under  such  unfav- 
orable conditions,  it  is  the  part  of  wisdom  for  the 
overworked  editor  to  forego  the  editorial  of  informa- 
tion. There  are  other  useful  forms  of  editorial  •which 
can  be  written  at  odd  moments  without  much  prepara- 
tion. 

The  editorial  of  information  is,  therefore,  not  the 
easiest  editorial  to  write,  although  it  is  the  simplest 
in  form.  It  bears  some  resemblance  to  the  news  story ; 
but  is  distinguishable  therefrom  by  the  absence  of 
limitation  to  matters  of  recent  occurrence.  Moreover, 
it  presents  summarized  information  which  hardly  has 
any  appropriate  place  in  the  news  columns,  unless  it 
might  be  in  a  "follow  story"  giving  the  setting  for 
some  incident  of  the  day. 

If  a  strike  breaks  out,  an  editorial  of  information 
may  summarize  the  incidents  leading  up  to  it — may 
even  present  a  brief  history  of  labor  troubles  in  the 
locality,  state  or  nation.  If  a  total  eclipse  is  soon  to 
be  observed,  the  editorial  of  information  will  acquaint 
the  reader  with  scientific  facts  necessary  to  appreciate 
the  event.    The  value  of  such  service  to  the  reader 

63 


THE  EDITORIAL 

should  not  be  minimized,  although  little  is  required  on 
his  part  except  ability  to  apprehend. 

This  market-basket  type  of  editorial  employs  only 
the  comparatively  simple  rhetorical  forms  of  descrip- 
tion and  narration. 

Since  it  contains  little  or  no  original  opinion,  the  in- 
formative type  of  editorial  writing  appears  not  so  of- 
ten by  itself,  constituting  a  complete  editorial,  as  in 
the  form  of  supporting  paragraphs  in  editorials  of 
more  ambitious  purposes. 

Here,  for  example,  is  an  editorial  from  the  New 
York  Tribune  containing  very  little  besides  news : 

THE  GREAT   FLIGHT 

The  great  flight  has  been  made. 
What  Hawker  failed  so  melodramat- 
ically to  do  Alcock  accomplished  yes- 
terday without  any  melodrama.  He  an- 
nihilated space,  for  he  covered  his 
course  from  Newfoundland  to  Ireland 
in  sixteen  hours  and  twenty-seven  min- 
utes— at  the  rate  of  120  miles  an  hour. 

The  Atlantic  is  now  conquered.  What 
next?  Secretary  Daniels  is  talking 
about  conquering  the  Pacific.  After 
that  the  record-making  aviator  will 
weep,  like  Alexander,  that  there  are 
no  more  worlds  to  conquer. 

The  following  editorial  from  the  Detroit  News 
went  back  nine  years  to  begin  a  summary  of  the  con- 
troversies between  the  city  of  Detroit  and  its  street 
railway  company : 

NINETEEN  YEARS  OF  LAW 
SUITS 

It  was  cold  Jan.  5,  1910;  it  had  been 
cold  for  a  good  many  Januarys  before 
64 


EDITORIAL  PURPOSES 

that  in  Detroit.  But  this  particular  day 
the  common  council  passed  an  ordi- 
nance ordering  the  D.  U.  R.  to  heat 
its  cars.  It  seems  incredible  that  street 
cars  should  have  been  run  heatless  in 
the  dead  of  winter  until  then.  Well, 
they  were  run  heatless  in  the  dead  of 
winter  after  that,  too.  The  D.  U.  R. 
went  right  on  running  them  heatless. 
The  city  resorted  to  arresting  and  fin- 
ing D.  U.  R.  employees  and  then  the 
D.  U.  R.  took  notice.  Yes,  it  made  a 
promise  to  heat  the  cars.  Again  the 
winter  of  1912,  two  years  after  the  car 
heating  ordinance  was  passed,  the  D, 
U.  R.  was  again  in  court  because  the 
cars   weren't   heated. 

Another  year  goes  by;  again  it  is  the 
dead  of  winter,  Jan.  13,  1913,  and  again 
the  D.  U.  R.  is  in  court  and  fined,  be- 
cause of  heatless  cars. 

And  so  on  for  more  than  a  column,  bringing  the 
whole  matter  down  to  date. 

This  editorial  of  information,  interesting  to  educa- 
tors, almost  wrote  itself  after  the  editor  had  found 
the  right  page  in  the  right  book  of  reference.  It  is 
from  the  New  York  Evening  Post :  * 

The  celebration  in  England  of  the 
jubilee  of  Girton  College  offers  this 
country  an  opportunity  to  plume  itself 
on  its  earlier  undertaking  of  the  higher 
education  of  women.  Girton  College, 
established  in  1869  at  Hitchin,  was 
transferred  in  1873  to  Cambridge,  where 
the  university  threw  open  its  examina- 
tions to  the  students.  F.  D.  Maurice 
had  as  early  as  1848  founded  a  college 
for  women  in  Harley  Street,  London. 
Many  of  the  later  famous  women's  in- 
stitutions in  England — Newnham,  Som- 
erville,  Lady  Margaret,  and  Westfield — 

65 


THE  EDITORIAL 


were  founded  as  a  result  of  impulses 
originating  with  Girton.  But  here  in 
America  we  shall  soon  be  celebrating 
the  centenary,  not  the  half -centenary, 
of  collegiate  education  for  women. 
Oberlin  threw  open  its  doors  to  women 
in  1833.  The  Georgia  Female  College 
was  chartered  in  1836,  though  its  stand- 
ards at  the  time  were  not  high.  In 
the  decade  from  1850  to  i860  higher 
education  for  women  began  to  root  it- 
self all  over  the  country,  and  in  1861 
Vassar  was  founded.  Tennyson  wrote 
of  "sweet  girl  graduates  in  their  golden 
hair"  in  1847,  but  had  he  been  think- 
ing of  real  college  girls  he  would  have 
had  to  go  to  America  to  find  them. 


2.  The  Prevailing  Type. — Somewhat  more  com- 
plex than  the  editorial  of  information,  is  the  one  writ- 
ten to  show  the  hidden  meaning  of  things — the  real 
significance  of  facts  or  events.  This  may  be  called 
the  editorial  of  interpretation.  It  is  the  test-tube  type 
in  which  things  are  analyzed  for,, the  public. 

The  president  makes  an  address,  say,  in  which  the 
casual  reader  might  find  nothing  striking  but  which  to 
the  eye  of  the  trained  diplomat  reveals  important  de- 
velopments in  foreign  policy.  The  editorial  of  inter- 
pretation points  out  the  hidden  significance  of  state- 
ments appearing  on  the  surface  little  more  than  com- 
monplace. 

A  bill  is  passed  by  Congress  authorizing  expendi- 
tures for  naval  construction.  Taken  as  an  isolated 
fact  the  action  may  have  little  meaning  for  the  ordi- 
nary reader.  Placed  in  perspective  by  an  editorial  of 
interpretation,  it  is  seen  to  be  the  first  step  in  a  radical 

66 


EDITORIAL  PURPOSES 

departure  from  a  naval  policy  maintained  throughout 
several  decades. 

The  death  of  an  interesting  man  or  woman,  the  ar- 
rival of  an  anniversary  date  in  the  life  of  such  person, 
or  the  recognition  of  such  a  person's  merit,  by  elec- 
tion or  appointment  or  otherwise,  affords  opportunity 
for  an  interpretive  editorial  of  appreciation. 

The  act  of  a  public  official  which,  being  interpreted, 
is  found  to  be  bad  for  the  people,  calls  for  an  editorial 
of  an  interrogatory  or,  possibly,  of  a  censorious  charac- 
ter. 

The  editorial  of  criticism  in  the  field  of  literature^ 
dramatics,  or  art,  aims  to  interpret  values  in  these 
creative  forms. 

In  the  realm  of  philosophy  and  ethics  is  ample  op- 
portunity for  editorials  aiming  at  the  interpretation  of 
life,  its  meaning,  its  moral  values. 

This  second  type  of  editorial  is  more  worthy  of 
attention  than  the  first,  because  it  requires  more 
thought  to  produce,  and  if  it  is  honestly  and  ably 
written,  yields  more  value  to  the  reader  seeking  in- 
telligent grasp  of  vital  questions.  It  makes  a  greater 
demand  upon  the  reader's  abilities  since  it"  appeals  to 
his  power  of  comprehension  rather  than  merely  his 
faculty  of  apprehending  facts.  He  must  pay  as  he 
enters ;  or,  perhaps  better,  he  receives  his  consignment 
C.  O.  D. 

The  rhetorical  form  employed  in  this  type  of  edi- 
torial is  exposition. 

As  representing  a  common  use  of  interpretation  to 
point  out  the  significance  of  an  event  and  the  reasons 

67 


THE  EDITORIAL 

for  a  certain  line  of  procedure,  the  following  is  quoted 
from  the  Springfield  Republican: 

THE  FINE  FLIGHT  TO  PLY- 
MOUTH 

A  jinx  may  now  be  defined  as  an  ap- 
paratus for  getting  there  ultimately. 
NC-4  has  had  bad  luck  enough  to  spoil 
several  voyages,  but  has  triumphed  over 
all  obstacles  and  makes  its  finish  in  fine 
style.  This  last  leg,  from  Ferrol  to 
Plymouth,  was  not  strictly  necessary; 
the  naval  aviators  are  not  competing 
for  a  prize,  and  their  demonstration 
that  the  Atlantic  could  be  crossed  was 
completed  when  one  of  the  three  naval 
planes  starting  arriyed  safely  at  the 
Azores.  The  real  difficulty  lay  in  hit- 
ting so  small  a  mark  after  so  long  a 
flight;  from  the  Azores  to  Portugal  the 
distance  was  less,  but  it  was  of  more 
consequence  that  the  target  was  too 
broad  to  be  easily  missed. 

From  Lisbon  to  England  is  a  flight 
that  in  these  days  offers  no  special  dif- 
ficulty, and  by  itself  it  would  make  no 
special  sensation.  It  could  perfectly 
well  be  made  by  easy  stages  overland, 
and  a  seaplane  could,  without  going  ojit 
of  its  way,  break  the  voyage  at  Brest 
where  France  projects  furthest  west. 
The  NC-4  indeed  passed  between  the 
mainland  and  an  island  twenty-eight 
miles  at  sea,  but  having  no  occasion 
to  stop  kept  on  and  crossed  the  four 
hundred  and  seventy-five  miles  of  the 
flight  without  interruption.  This  is  the 
more  satisfactory  because  the  engine 
trouble  which  appeared  on  the  unlucky 
broken  flight  along  the  Portuguese 
coast  suggested  that  the  motors  had  de- 
teriorated. To  test  their  durability  was 
no  doubt  one  of  the  chief  reasons  for 
continuing  the  flight  to  Plymouth,  and 

68 


EDITORIAL  PURPOSES 

the  lessons  learned  will  be  of  value.  In 
England  the  crew  of  the  Nancy  boat  will 
be  assured  of  a  reception  of  the  most 
cordial   sort. 


Approval  and  disapproval  are  interpretive.  They 
point  out  values,  or  relations  to  accepted  standards. 
The  following  from  the  Philadelphia  Public  Ledger 
is  an  example : 

SUNDAY  IN  THE  PARK 

The  attempt  to  put  an  end  to  Sunday 
games  in  the  Park  by  means  of  an  in- 
junction has  failed,  as  it  ought  to  have 
failed.  For  the  action  of  the  Park 
Commission  in  permitting  recreations 
in  the  people's  pleasure  ground  created 
no  situation  that  threatened  or  did  ir- 
reparable injury  to  any  one.  In  fact, 
it  went  no  further  than  to  extend  to  all 
classes  of  the  community  using  the  Park 
privileges  that  have  been  utilized  by 
everybody,  everywhere,  as  a  matter  of 
course.  The  plain  remedy  for  the  Sabba- 
tarians, if  they  felt  aggrieved  by  what 
goes  on  in  the  Park  and  if  they  are 
convinced  that  the  law  is  being  violated, 
was  to  have  arrested  the  alleged  of- 
fenders. This  is  the  view  taken  by  the 
Court  of  Common  Pleas,  following 
many  precedents,  and  it  remains  for 
those  who  are  discontented  with  this  de- 
cision either  to  appeal  or  to  adopt  some 
other  course.  Meanwhile  public  opinion 
will  cordially  indorse  the  action  of 
Judges  Staake  and  Monaghan  in  their 
enlightened  view  of  a  law  that  belongs 
to  another  age  and  which  has  been  set 
aside  repeatedly  to  meet  the  changing 
opinions  and  conditions  of  a  progres- 
sive community. 

69 


THE  EDITORIAL 

A  half-column  interpretive  editorial  in  the  Boston 
Evening  Transcript  commenting  on  the  fate  of  Tur- 
key after  the  Great  War,  began  thus : 


THE  END  IS  NEAR 

Six  centuries  and  a  half  measure  the 
whole  existence,  thus  far,  of  the  Otto- 
man Turks  as  a  race  threatening  the 
peace  of  the  western  world.  Four  hun- 
dred and  forty-four  horsemen,  all  told, 
rode  into  Asia  Minor,  and,  by  turning 
the  scale  in  a  battle  between  two  much 
larger  armies  there,  acquired  a  fight- 
ing prominence  which  developed  into 
the  conquest  of  Constantinople  and  the 
menace  of  all  Europe.  *  *  *  But  to-day 
his  reign  is  over,  not  only  in  Europe, 
whence  he  will  be  driven  utterly,  but 
in  Palestine,  in  Mesopotamia,  in  Ar- 
menia. At  last,  after  all  these  cen- 
turies, his  foot  is  lifted  from  the  necks 
of  all  Christians.  *  *  *  No  armistice 
would  have  been  granted  the  Turk  un- 
less he  had  thus  surrendered  completely. 
He  will  quit  the  Dardanelles  and  the 
Bosphorus.  *  ♦  ♦ 


When  the  actors  in  New  York  went  on  a  strike,  the 
New  York  Times  published  an  editorial  interpreting 
the  situation.  Sentences  selected  from  each  of  the  sev- 
eral paragraphs  show  its  character: 


CONFESS  AND  MAKE  UP 

If  it  can  be  established  that  there  are 
faults  on  both  sides  in  the  warfare  be- 
tween actors  and  managers,  a  long  step 
will  be  taken  toward  theatrical  peace — 
which,  with  such  amiable  and  generous 
if  temperamental  people,  must  eventu- 
ally mean  reconciliation.  And  as  far  as 
70 


EDITORIAL  PURPOSES 


one  can  gather  from  the  published  state- 
ments, errors  are  pretty  evenly  divided. 

If  the  actors  had  rested  their  case  on 
the  claims  thus  stated,  they  must  even- 
tually have  won.  Their  contention  is 
directly  in  line  with  a  great  world  move- 
ment. Unfortunately,  they  seem  to  have 
suffered,  no  less  than  the  managers, 
from  intemperate  counsel  and  bad  lead- 
ership. 

***** 

The  chance  that  reason  will  prevail 
seems  at  this  hectic  hour,  to  be  not 
bright.'  On  both  sides  well-intended  ad- 
vances toward  an  understanding  have 
already  been  made  and  rebuffed.  Old 
friendships  are  sundered;  hitherto  loyal 
clubmates  have  parted  in  bitterness. 
The  actors  have  staged  their  strike  with 
telling  dramatic  effect,  and  the  mana- 
gers have  played  their  role  of  unre- 
lenting parent  with  indomitable  zeal. 
But  all  this  is  not  necessarily  fatal  to 
eventual  reconciliation. 


At  the  end  oi  k  column  length   the  editorial  closed 
effectively  thus: 


Both  sides  have  already  suffered  grave 
and  irreparable  losses.  The  legal  situ- 
ation presents  features  which  are  at 
present  undetermined — indeterminable. 
If  the  worst  comes,  it  will  be  bad  in- 
deed. The  public,  too,  has  its  rights. 
It  was  diverted  for  a  time  by  the  side- 
walk performances ;  but  interest  in  that 
died  soon.  It  has  need  of  amusement 
and  is  learning  to  find  it  elsewhere. 
Verbum  sap.  * 

An  editorial  interpreting  life  in  one  of  its  aspects 
began  thus  in  the  Public  Ledger  of  Philadelphia : 

71 


THE  EDITORIAL 


COMPANY  MANNERS 

Some  people  have  to  make  an  obvi- 
ous effort  to  be  polite  and  gracious 
— to  some  it  "comes  natural"  to  be  kind. 
Folk  of  the  first  order  have  one  man- 
ner for  the  lowly  folk  and  another  for 
the  people  of  importance.  The  second 
sort  of  human  being — a  sort  that  is  uni- 
versally beloved — has  only  to  appear  to 
make  a  friend.  The  genuineness  of  a 
benign   sincerity   is   felt  at  once. 

But  it  is  not  always  easy  in  rain  or 
shine,  through  thick  and  thin,  to  smile 
and  be  gentle  and  keep  one's  temper. 
This  radiant  sweetness,  that  wins  all 
hearts  immediately,  is  born  of  a  good- 
ness that  has  patiently  schooled  itself, 
and  has  known  the  thorns  as  well  as 
the  petals  of  the  Maytime  roses.  There 
was  practice  that  created  the  amiable 
habit — even  as  to  make  an  exquisite 
sound  of  singing  or  the  violin,  that 
seems  a  purely  spontaneous  rapture, 
there  had  to  be  practice,  and  there  were 

long,  stiff  sessions  of  technical  exercises. 

*  *  *  *  * 


From  the  same  paper  another  editorial  of  similar 
purpose  may  be  taken  to  illustrate  how  moralizing  may 
be  enlivened  by  concreteness  in  style  of  presentation: 


TAKING  SUGGESTIONS 

The  man  who  knows  it  all  and  will 
not  stoop  to  listen  or  be  guided  is  what 
is  called  in  the  plain  and  homely  ver- 
nacular "a  natural-born  fool." 

There  is  none  like  to  me!  says  the  cub,  in  the  pride 
of  his  earliest  kill; 

But  the  jungle  is  large  and  the  cub  he  is  small; 
let  him  think  and  be  still. 

*  n^  *  *  * 

72 


EDITORIAL  PURPOSES 


Great  rulers  throughout  the  ages  have 
been  accessible  to  the  rank  and  file  of 
the  people — for  only  by  living  in  close 
contact  with  the  popular  pulse  that  is 
the  reflex  of  the  heart-throb  of  human- 
ity does  one  remain  wholly  normal  and 
human. 

It  was  so  with  the  great  mind  and 
heart  of  Lincoln.  No  man  was  read- 
ier to  give  audience  to  the  humblest  and 
to  use  the  wit  of  simple  folk  for  what- 
ever there  was  in  it. 

*  *  *  *  He 

It  was  not  the  giraffe  who  was  rec- 
ommended for  our  profitable  observa- 
tion and  emulation — it  was  the  ant. 

You  might  learn  much,  if  you  would 
consult  them,  from  the  gatekeeper  at  a 
railway  crossing,  from  the  woman  who 
brings  home  the  washing,  from  the  er- 
rand boy  at  the  corner  drug  store,  from 
the  motorman  who  sends  a  neat  child 
to  school,  from  the  janitor,  the  boot- 
black and  the  porter.  ,  If  you  were  not 
selfish  and  proud,  with  your  chin  in 
your  chest — if  you  would  look  up  and 
around  you — you  would  be  gathering 
hints  from  the  whole  creation ;  from  the 
bird  building  its  nest,  who  tugs  faith- 
fully away  at  a  bit  of  string,  or  feed- 
ing its  young  in  patience  and  self-de- 
nial ;  from  the  dog  lovingly  obedient  to 
its  master,  and  the  horse  faithful  unto 
death  in  the  traces.  *  *  * 


An  editorial  with  a  similar  purpose  but  viewing  life 
from  a  different  angle  appeared  in  the  Kansas  City 
Star: 

THE  TRAGEDY  OF  BEING  COMIC 


A  reputation  for  humor  is  undesir- 
able not  only  because  it  is  exceedingly 
diffcult  to  maintain,  but  because  when 
once  a  person  has  established  the  be- 
lief that  he  is  "funny,"  there  are  few 

73 


THE  EDITORIAL 

if  any  who  will  take  him  seriously,  no 
matter  how  earnest  he  may  try  to  be- 
come. 

Many  a  speaker,  teacher  or  other  per- 
son having  to  do  with  fairly  large 
groups  of  people  has  found  the  temp- 
tation to  entertain  his  listeners  by  tell- 
ing jokes  or  being  comic  in  manner  al- 
most irresistible.  Some  have  yielded, 
and  a  very  few  have  succeeded  in  main- 
taining a  reputation  for  humor  for 
many  years.  Others  have  found  that 
after  a  short  time  the  old  stories  would 
not  make  the  crowds  laugh,  that  the 
audiences  actually  grew  weary  of  the 
efforts  of  the  entertainer  to  be  amus- 
ing and  finally  came  to  criticize  him  be- 
cause he  was  not  more  "substantial" 
in  his  thought  and  character. 

But  the  tragedy  of  not  being  able  to 
throw  off  the  character  of  the  humor- 
ist or  the  clown  and  appear  as  a  seri- 
ous minded  person  on  a  serious  subject 
is  extremely  poignant.  Mark  Twain 
told  of  going  to  a  large  American  uni- 
versity once  and  appearing  before  the 
students  in  chapel  with  a  very  earnest 
desire  to  talk  to  them  on  a  serious  sub- 
ject. His  manner  indicated  his  purpose, 
but  as  he  stepped  to  the  front  of  the 
platform  he  was  greeted  with  roars  of 
laughter.  Twain  declared  he  could 
hardly  suppress  his  tears  because  he 
realized  completely  that  he  could  never 
be  taken  seriously. 

***** 

But  the  tragedy  of  being  comic  has 
another  phase.  It  is  often  necessary 
for  the  humorist  or  comedian  to  be 
amusing  when  he  does  not  feel  at  all 

like  it. 

*  *  *  ♦  * 

It  would  be  interesting  for  those  who 
laugh  at  the  apparently  wholehearted 
antics  of  the  clown,  the  seemingly  spon- 
taneous humor  of  the  writer  or  speaker, 

74 


EDITORIAL  PURPOSES 

to  recall  that  sorrow  may  be  at  work 
behind  the  mask  and  that  the  person 
whose  business  it  is  to  Hghten  the  bur- 
den of  the  world  for  others  may  him- 
self be  loaded  with  care  and  beholding 
life  as  a  dismal  spectacle. 

Reflections  on  the  meaning  of  contradictions  con- 
stitute a  somewhat  philosophical  editorial  of  interpre- 
tation from  the  Cleveland  Press: 


Every  one  has  observed  how  fre- 
quently one  maxim  seems  to  contradict 
another.     In  this  fashion: 

Look  before  you  leap. 
He  who  hesitates  is  lost. 

Two  heads  are  better  than  one. 
Too  many  cooks  spoil  the  broth. 

Out  of  sight,  out  of  mind. 

Absence  makes  the  heart  grow  fonder. 

It  is  never  too  late  to  mend. 
As  the  twig  is  bent,  the  tree  is  in- 
clined. 

Does  that  mean  that  each  maxim  is 
false?  Not  at  all.  Each  in  its  own 
time  and  place  may  be  right.  The  whole 
truth  is  not  so  simple  that  it  can  be 
condensed   into  a   single   thought. 

A  dog  may  be  truly  a  companionable 
fellow  to  his  master,  truly  a  nuisance 
to  the  master's  wife,  and  truly  a  ter- 
ror to  the  neighbor's  cat. 

Each  person  is  a  complicated  mixture 
of  frequent  conflicting  traits  and  ten- 
dencies. That's  true  of  the  obscure. 
It  is  equally  true  of  those  who  are  con- 
spicuous. Two  voters  may  have  ex- 
actly opposite  views  of  a  political  can- 
didate and  each  view  may  be  right, 

75 


THE  EDITORIAL 

Appreciation  of  significant  lives,  constituting  a 
form  of  the  interpretive  editorial,  may  be  illustrated 
by  the  following  opening  paragraph  from  an  editorial 
in  the  Boston  Evening  Transcript: 


MRS.   RUSSELL  SAGE 

If  Mrs.  Hetty  Green  died  the  most 
remarkable  maker  of  money  ever 
known  among  American  women,  Mrs. 
Russell  Sage  went  to  her  rest  this  morn- 
ing the  most  remarkable  giver.  Nor 
did  the  contrast  between  the  two  end 
with  this  single  difference,  but  rather 
was  borne  out  as  between  nearly  all  the 
aspects  of  their  two  characters.  Upon 
only  one  basis  did  they  reach  union, 
and  that  was  in  the  sagacity  of  their 
minds,  in  the  simplicity  of  their  per- 
sonal lives,  and  in  their  strength  of 
character,  as  undeniable  in  the  case  of 
Mrs.  Green  as  in  that  of  Mrs.  Sage. 


On  the  other  hand  may  be  found  occasionally  an 
editorial  of  bitter  disapproval  such  as  this  from  the 
Evening  Post  of  New  York : 


The  death  of  "Gas"  Addicks  recalls 
a  time  which  already  seems  ancient.  His 
brazen  attempt  to  buy  one  of  Dela- 
ware's seats  in  the  Senate  held  the  at- 
tention of  the  country  like  a  drama. 
For  some  years  the  State  had  only  one 
Senator  at  Washington,  choosing  to  for- 
feit half  of  her  representation  rather 
than  to  submit  to  having  for  one  of  her 
spokesmen  an  unprincipled  upstart.  She 
held  to  this  course  in  the  face  of  criti- 
cism in  high  places,  including  a  hint 
from  the  White  House  that  she  was 
unreasonably  virtuous.  Unconsciously, 
76 


EDITORIAL  PURPOSES 

Addicks  was  encouraging  the  agitation 
for  direct  election  of  Senators.  The 
example  of  the  Legislature  of  Dela- 
ware unable  either  to  elect  a  Senator 
or  to  transact  any  other  business,  ex- 
cept under  great  difficulties,  owing  to 
the  ambition  of  a  millionaire,  became 
one  of  the  stock  illustrations  of  the 
breaking  down  of  the  old  system. 
While  Addicks  could  not  elect  a  ma- 
jority of  the  Legislature,  he  could  elect 
enough  members  to  prevent  any  one 
else  from  obtaining  a  majority.  In  the 
end  he  gave  up  the  hopeless  fight  and 
left  the  State  of  which  he  had  been  a 
legal  rather  than  an  actual  resident, 
and  that  only  for  the  purpose  of  cor- 
rupting it. 

A  type  of  interpretive  editorial  which  goes  into 
scrap  books  and  which  is  revived  and  reprinted  year 
after  year,  is  that  revealing  the  beauty  in  some  aspect 
of  nature.  The  following  by  W.  E.  Blackburn,  in  the 
Anthony  (Kansas)  Republican  may  be  chosen  as  an 
example : 

OCTOBER  IN  KANSAS 

The  very  air  is  invigorant;  fragrant 
from  the  harvest,  spiced  with  wood 
smoke,  bracing  from  the  first  frosts, 
scintillant  with  the  glorious  sunshine 
that  fills  the  shortening  autumn  days 
with  splendor  and  makes  thin  and  lumi- 
nous the  attending  shadow.  "Bob 
White"  shrills  of  "more  wet,  more 
wet" ;  his  Quakerish  little  wife,  with 
half-grown  brood,  trimly  speeds  across 
the  roadway  into  the  ripened  corn,  or 
with  musical  '"whir-r-r-r"  rises,  to  dive 
into  the  distant  sea  of  undulating  brown. 
Prairie  larks  trill  and  carol,  on  the  rusty 
wire,  or  perched  on  the  infrequent  posts 
that   hold   the  cattle    from   the   ripened 

77 


THE  EDITORIAL 

field.  Hawks  fly  low;  frightened  spar- 
rows flutter  into  trees  and  hedge  row ; 
rabbits  scurry  from  bare  pastures  to 
grassy  covert,  or  sit  erect  and  watch 
with  distended  eye,  quivering  nostril, 
and  rigid  ear  the  impending  danger. 
The  murmur  of  voices,  the  morning 
cock  crow,  the  lowing  of  cattle  are  as 
distant  music,  carried  softly  to  the  ear 
by  the  voluptuous  air.  Corn  shocks  dot 
the  field — tents  of  an  army  that  stands 
nearby  in  whispering  ranks.  A  multi- 
tude of  peace  and  plenty;  no  arms;  no 
equipment,  but  a  haversack  of  golden 
grain  on  hip  or  shoulder.  Save  a  weary 
few,  they  stand  expectant,  waiting  to 
deliver  their  garnered  wealth,  be  mus- 
tered out  and  with  empty  pockets,  light 
hearts  and  fluttering  banners  retrace 
their  steps  via  the  moldering  way  to 
the  place  whence  they  came,  and  rest. 
In  rusty  velvet  fields,  big,  dusky  hay- 
stacks stand  in  herds  or  gather  in  about 
the  barn,  shouldering  one  another  in 
ponderous  good  humor. 

From  the  inspiration  of  the  caressing 
air,  the  peaceful  plenteous  view,  satis- 
fied achievement  of  a  summer's  work, 
of  goodly  store  from  Nature's  plenty, 
we  look  with  brightened  eye,  bounding 
blood  and  defiant  head,  to  the  north, 
undaunted  by  the  icy  breath  that  tells 
of  coming  snow. 

Interpretation  forms  the  larger  part  of  the  matter 
in  most  editorial  columns.  It  is  not  uncommon  to 
find  an  editorial  page  containing  almost  nothing  but 
exposition. 

3.  The  Kind  Euclid  Invented. — The  purpose  of 
the  third  type  of  editorial  is  to  convince  the  reader 
by  means  of  argument — it  is  the  "reason  why"  type. 
Editorials  of  information  and  interpretation  serve  in- 

78 


EDITORIAL  PURPOSES 

cidentally  to  establish  opinions  or  convictions  in  the 
reader's  mind,  but  the  third  type  of  editorial  aims  at 
winning  the  reader's  agreement  or  belief  by  the  direct 
argumentative  method.  This  editorial  has  the  ad- 
vantage of  being  "open  and  above  board,"  and  when 
well  written,  gives  a  clear-cut  statement  of  the  object 
aimed  at  and  a  forceful  presentation  of  the  reasons 
therefor.  Its  most  obvious  disadvantage  is  that  human 
nature  does  not  readily  permit  itself  to  be  convinced 
by  argument — at  least  by  argument  alone. 

Rarely  does  one  find  an  editorial  argumentative 
throughout,  but  this  element  in  editorial  writing  is 
second  in  importance  only  to  exposition. 

In  the  following  editorial  from  the  New  York 
American,  the  skeleton  of  the  argument  is  more  plain- 
ly exposed  than  is  usual.  Direct  arguments;  then 
arguments  in  refutation ;  then  more  direct  arguments, 
is  the  general  plan  of  organization. 


REASONS  WHY  THE  PRESIDENT 

SHOULD   SAVE  DAYLIGHT 

SAVING 

President  Wilson  should  return  to 
Congress  with  his  disapproval  the  Agri- 
cultural appropriation  bill  upon  which 
the  repeal  of  daylight  saving  was  im- 
posed as  a  rider.  He  should  do  this 
for  two  reasons. 

One  is  the  need  of  checking  the  habit 
among  legislators  of  using  appropria- 
tion bills  as  vehicles  to  carry  legisla- 
tion which  could  not  withstand  direct 
scrutiny  if  submitted  alone. 

The  tendency  to  resort  to  this  evasive 
method  to  advance  tricky  or  question- 

79 


THE  EDITORIAL 

able  legislation  is  growing.  It  is  vicious 
and  needs  to  be  halted. 

But  the  more  important  reason  why 
a  veto  is  required  is  because  the  repeal 
of  the  daylight  saving  experiment  is  not 
the  wish  of  the  American  people  and 
is  not  in  their  best  interest. 

Clearly  the  timing  of  the  clock  so 
that  as  much  time  as  possible  is  pro- 
vided for  indoor  workers  to  get  out  of 
doors  during  pleasant  weather — in  home 
gardens,  at  ball  games,  playing  in  any 
wholesome  fashion  in  the  open  air — is 
to  the  advantage  of  workers. 

No  man  can  with  a  sober  face  dis- 
pute a  truth  so  plainly  self-evident. 

And  since  it  is  to  the  advantage  of 
workers,  which  means  in  the  United 
States  a  majority  of  all  citizens,  it  con- 
sequently is  to  the  advantage  of  so- 
ciety. 

The  records  show  that  daylight  sav- 
ing reduced  accidents  in  ships  and  on 
public  highways;  lessened  eye  strain 
among  those  compelled  to  work  by  ar- 
tificial light;  gave  a  great  impetus  to 
amateur  gardening,  with  its  reduction 
in  the  cost  of  living  and  its  happy  divi- 
dend of  better  health ;  and  proved  a 
source  of  substantial  benefit  to  all 
dwellers  in  cities  and  villages. 

Secretary  Frank  Morrison,  of  the 
American  Federation  of  Labor,  is  au- 
thority for  the  statement  that  in  19 18, 
in  Pennsylvania  alone,  there  were  43,036 
fewer  industrial  accidents  than  in  191 7, 
and  70,772  fewer  than  in  1916.  He 
attributes  to  daylight  saving  much  of 
this  greater  safety  in  employment. 

So  when  the  American  Federation  of 
Labor  by  a  close  vote  defeats  an  en- 
dorsement of  daylight  saving  and  in- 
stead adopts  a  resolution  urging  its  re- 
peal, we  infer  that  the  vote  is  not 
reflective  of  the  will  of  the  workers  gen- 

80 


EDITORIAL  PURPOSES 

erally,  but  is  instead  reflective  of  con- 
vention politics. 

We  place  little  more  confidence  in  the 
petition  from  the  farmers  urging  repeal 
with  which  the  Congress  was  deluged. 

It  takes  one  of  two  things  to  collect 
the  signatures  of  thousands  of  farmers 
to  a  petition — either  a  substantial  griev- 
ance grown  acute  or  a  set-up. 

We  have  searched  among  farmers  for 
signs  of  the  existence  of  a  substantial 
grievance  against  daylight  saving  and 
we  have  not  found  it. 

In  short,  the  positively  proved  bene- 
fits of  daylight  saving  so  far  offset  the 
fanciful  objections  that  the  public  wel- 
fare demands  a  veto  of  the  proposed  re- 
peal. 

There  is  no  substance  in  the  move- 
ment  for  repeal. 

It  would  not  look  different  if  it  had 
been  deliberately  set  up  by  gas,  electric 
and  coal  trusts  or  by  politicians  hunt- 
ing pretexts. 

Consider  the  lighting  angle  for  a  mo- 
ment. Ten  million  families  saving  an 
hour's  light  a  night  for  150  nights 
means  1,500,000,000  hours  of  light  that 
the  lighting  companies  of  the  country 
do  not  collect  for.  If  it  cost  only  one 
cent  an  hour,  that  would  mean  $15,- 
000,000  that  the  public  now  saves  and 
which  the  lighting  companies  would  get 
back  if  the  repeal  goes  through. 

The  yearly  saving  in  coal  by  day- 
light saving  is  reckoned  at  1,500,000 
tons.  The  coal  trust  could  well  afford 
to  join  the  gas  trust  and  the  electric 
trust  in  organizing  a  fight  for  the  old 
schedule. 

These  estimates  of  savings  are  sus- 
tained by  foreign  experience.  In  five 
months  England  saved  $12,000,000  in 
gas  and  electricity.  France  in  a  year 
saved  $10,000,000.  One  summer's  sav- 
ing in  New  York  City  has  been  reckoned 

81 


THE  EDITORIAL 

at  $1,500,000.  Conservative  figfuring 
puts  the  total  American  direct  cash 
saving  at  $40,000,000  a  year,  exclusive 
of  the  enhanced  value  in  health  from 
greater  outdoor  activities,  and  the  value 
of  garden  produce  made  possible  by 
extra  daylight.  The  produce  from  war 
gardens  in  1918  was  valued  at  $525,- 
000,000.  Perhaps  a  third  of  this  re- 
sulted from  the  extra  hour  of  evening 
toil. 

Congress  has  been  stampeded  in  this 
matter  and  it  is  up  to  the  President  to 
recall  it  to  reason. 

This  editorial  from  the  New  York  World  represents 
the  more  familiar  argumentative  type  in  which  no 
syllogism  is  fully  stated,  but  only  the  major  or  minor 
premise  or  the  conclusion  explicitly  given,  while  the 
logical  progress  of  the  argument  is  suggested  rather 
than  diagrammed : 

MANSLAUGHTER  AS  A  SPORT 

With  one  man  killed  instantly  under 
his  overturned  machine  and  with  two 
men  dying  under  the  tortures  of  gaso- 
line flames  on  the  speedway  at  Indian- 
apolis on  Saturday,  a  day's  new  record 
was  made  in  the  frightfulness  of  motor- 
car racing.  For  good  measure  in  dis- 
aster, a  fourth  man  was  taken  from  the 
track  with  a  fractured  skull.  For  once, 
that  large  portion  of  an  automobile- 
racing  crowd  which  is  drawn  out  by  the 
ever-present  menace  of  death  among  fly- 
ing wheels  had  presented  to  its  strain- 
ing eyes  the  sights  it  had  reason  fear- 
fully to  expect. 

Racing  in  power-driven  cars  has  never 
been  justified  by  its  results,  even  when 
free  from  serious  accident.  It  has 
brought  out  no  points  in  engine   con- 

82 


i'.''. 


EDITORIAL  PURPOSES 

struction  and  mechanical  invention  tnat 
could  not  have  been  revealed  in  safe 
and  ordinary  tests.  It  has  ministered 
not  to  progress  in  motor  building  and 
development,  but  to  men's  morbid  love 
of  being  thrilled  by  the  daring  and  peril 
of  other  men.  There  is  no  triumph  of 
breeding,  of  natural  prowess  or  of  train- 
ing in  the  fact  that  one  factory-made 
piece  of  locomotive  machinery  can  be 
driven  faster  than  another.  Even  the 
courage  for  which  drivers  in  a  tearing 
competition  must  receive  credit  is  of 
the  quality  rather  ff  c  spurrmg  reck- 
lessness than  of  a  steady,  uplifting  im- 
pulse. 

Since  motor  racing  began,  The  World 
has  denied  consistently  its  place  among 
useful  or  really  inspiring  sports;  has 
commented  on  the  lack  of  value  of  its 
results  as  compared  with  its  deadly 
risks.  On  any  speedway,  on  any  trial 
in  speedmadness,  the  casualty  potential- 
ity looms  laigc.  Tne  Indianapolis  out- 
come may  at  any  time  be  outrivaled. 
How  much  longer  will  it  be  permitted, 
under  the  abused  name  of  sport,  to 
multiply  invitations  to  manslaughter? 

As  contributing  editor  for  the  Kansas  City  Star, 
Theodore  Roosevelt  wrote  usually  in  argumentative 
vein  and,  in  his  political  editorials,  in  a  style  that  was 
spirited  or  even  caustic.  A  typical  editorial  on  a  non- 
political  subject  is  the  following: 


THE  BONDHOLDERS  AND  THE 
PEOPLE 

By  Theodore  Roosevelt 

Not  many  years  ago  one  of  the  fa- 
vorite cries  of  those  who  wished  to  ex- 
ploit for  their  own  advantage  the  often 

83 


THE  EDITORIAL 


justifiable  popular  unrest  and  discon- 
tent was  that  "the  people  were  op- 
pressed in  the  interest  of  the  bondhold- 
ers." The  more  ardent  souls  of  this 
'type  wished  to  repudiate  the  national 
debt  to  "wipe  it  out  as  with  a  sponge" 
in  order  to  remove  the  "oppression." 
The  bondholders  were  always  held  up 
as  greedy  creatures  who  had  obtained 
an  unfair  advantage  of  the  people  as 
a  whole. 

Well,  the  Liberty  Loan  now  oflFers  the 
chance  to  make  the  people  and  the  bond- 
holders interchangeable  terms.  The 
bonds  are  issued  in  such  a  way  that 
the  farmer  and  the  wage  worker  have 
exactly  the  same  chance  as  the  banker 
to  purchase  and  hold  as  many  as  or 
as  few  as  they  wish.  No  matter  how 
small  a  man's  means  he  can  get  some 
part  of  a  bond  if  he  wishes.  The  gov- 
ernment and  the  big  financiers  are  do- 
ing all  they  can  to  make  the  sale  as 
widely  distributed  as  possible.  Some 
bankers  are  serving  without  pay  in  the 
effort  to  put  all  the  facts  before  the 
people  as  a  whole,  and  so  make  the 
loan  in  very  truth  a  people's  loan.  It 
rests  with  the  people  themselves  to  de- 
cide whether  it  shall  be  such. 

The  government  must  have  the 
money.  It  is  a  patriotic  duty  to  pur- 
chase the  bonds.  And  they  ofTer  an 
absolutely  safe  investment.  The  money 
invested  is  invested  on  the  best  security 
in  the  world — that  of  the  United  States ; 
of  the  American  Nation  itself.  The 
money  cannot  be  lost  unless  the  United 
States  is  destroyed,  and  in  that  case  we 
would  all  of  us  be  smashed  anyhow, 
so  that  it  would  not  make  any  differ- 
ence. The  people  can,  if  they  choose, 
now  make  themselves  the  bondholders. 
If  they  do  not  so  choose  and  if  they 
force  Wall  Street  to  become  the  largest 
purchaser  of  the  bonds,  which  must  be 

84 


EDITORIAL  PURPOSES 

bought  somehow,  then  they  will  have 
no  right  in  the  future  to  grumble  about 
the  bondholders  as  a  special  class.  We 
can  now,  all  of  us,  join  that  class  if  we 
wish. 

4.  The  "Highest"  Type.— The  fourth  editorial 
purpose  is  to  influence  action.  There  is  a  temptation 
to  speak  of  this  as  the  highest  type  of  editorial,  since 
apprehension  of  facts,  understanding  of  their  signifi- 
cance, and  beHef  in  the  proposition  laid  down,  are 
often  of  Httle  value  to  the  individual  or  society  un- 
less they  result  in  action.  But  it  is  difficult  to  arrive 
at  values  in  this  realm.  It  seems  clear,  however,  that 
the  editor  who,  through  appeal  to  the  feelings  and 
the  will  of  his  readers,  produces  results  in  action,  is 
performing  a  more  significant  social  function  than  the 
one  who  merely  imparts  information  or  builds  opinion. 

The  form  of  writing  employed  for  the  "evange- 
listic" editorial  is  persuasion.  It  involves  such  emo- 
tional appeals,  and  appeals  to  the  instincts,  as  seem 
likely  to  be  effective,  running  all  the  way  from  subtle 
suggestion  to  frank  exhortation.  If  the  appeal  is  based 
on  moral  grounds  it  is  nevertheless  framed  so  as  to 
transcend,  if  necessary,  the  moral  limitations  of  that 
convenient  composite,  the  average  reader. 

The  superior  effectiveness  of  diplomacy  was  thus 
analyzed  by  Abraham  Lincoln:  "When  the  conduct 
of  men  is  designed  to  be  influenced,  persuasion,  kind, 
unassuming  persuasion,  should  ever  be  adopted.  It  is 
an  old  and  true  maxim  that  'a  drop  of  honey  catches 
more  flies  than  a  gallon  of  gall.'  So  with  men.  If  you 
would  win  a  man  to  your  cause,  first  convince  him 

85 


EDITORIAL  PURPOSES 

that  you  are  his  sincere  friend.  Therein  is  a  drop  of 
honey  that  catches  his  heart,  which,  say  what  he  will, 
when  once  gained,  you  will  find  but  little  trouble  in 
convincing  his  judgment  of  the  justice  of  your  cause, 
if  indeed  that  cause  really  be  a  just  one.  On  the  con- 
trary, assume  to  dictate  to  his  judgment,  or  to  com- 
mand his  action,  or  to  mark  him  as  one  to  be  shunned 
and  despised,  and  he  will  retreat  within  himself,  close 
all  the  avenues  to  his  head  and  heart ;  and  though  you 
throw  with  more  than  Herculean  force  and  precision, 
you  will  be  no  more  able  to  pierce  him  than  to  pene- 
trate the  hard  shell  of  a  tortoise  with  a  rye  straw. 
Such  is  man,  and  so  must  he  be  understood  by  those 
who  would  lead  him,  even  in  his  own  best  interests." 

With  persuasive  writing  and  persuasive  pictures, 
the  successful  maker  of  advertisements  has  much  to 
do.  An  editorial  writer  might  do  much  worse  with 
some  of  his  time  than  to  devote  it  to  seeking  out  the 
methods  by  which  the  advertiser  enlists  in  his  service 
fear,  worry,  ambition,  love,  sympathy,  altruism,  pride, 
envy,  jealousy;  the  instincts  of  self-adornment,  emu- 
lation, hunting,  constructiveness,  thrift,  exercise  of 
mental  powers;  and  an  endless  list  of  other  effective 
concepts.  Blessed  is  the  writer  who  despises  not 
psychology. 

Almost  never  does  one  find  a  long  editorial  of  this 
type.  Even  a  short  editorial  of  persuasion  is  useless 
unless  the  reader  already  understands  the  matter  under 
consideration,  and  is  in  agreement  with  the  editor's 
view.  Persuasion  must  rest  on  information,  under- 
standing, and  belief.     In  practice,  the  persuasive  ele- 

87 


THE  EDITORIAL 

ment  is  interwoven  with  exposition  and  argument 
which  prepare  the  reader  for  an  active  response. 

In  the  editorial  page  of  what  might  be  called  the 
"intellectual"  type,  persuasion  is  a  small  factor;  but 
it  forms  the  most  characteristic  trait  of  what  is  fre- 
quently called  the  dynamic  newspaper. 

David  Gibson,  founder  of  the  Gibson  magazines,  in 
discussing  persuasive  editorial  writing,  advances  the 
iollowing  theory  of  effectiveness: 

Never  undertake  to  bring  any  change  of  thought  or 
induce  any  action  by  appeal  to  feelings,  sympathy  or 
morals  for  the  sake  of  morals. 

Make  an  appeal  to  self-interest. 

Present  the  argument  that  a  changed  thought  or  action 
will  make  more  profit,  bring  about  a  better  state  of  health, 
increase  length  of  life,  or  bring  more  pleasure  and  enjoy- 
ment. 

It  is  more  important  that  we  should  think  than  feel. 

If  we  think  right  on  all  matters  we  will  feel  right. 

For  instance,  in  an  argument  against  poverty  and 
slums :  do  not  picture  the  conditions  of  the  people  of  that 
state,  or  give  any  figures  as  to  the  number  of  arrests  or 
deaths. 

Go  at  it  from  the  other  way  around :  Take  it  up  from 
its  business  side,  that  poverty  and  slums  are  unprofitable, 
that  they  are  not  only  a  menace  to  the  health  and  life  of 
better  parts  of  a  community,  but  poor  people  have  no 
jnoney  to  buy  anything,  that  if  their  living  surroundings 
were  better  they  would  do  more  and  better  work,  have 
more,  buy  more  and  add  to  the  prosperity  of  the  com- 
munity generally  by  a  higher  standard  of  living  and  its 
Accruing  purchasing  power. 

88 


EDITORIAL  PURPOSES 

Or,  say,  in  making  an  argtiment  against  short  weight 
in  stores : 

Do  not  picture  the  thinly  clad,  work-worn  woman  with 
thirteen  underfed,  fatherless  children  and  the  visible 
hand  of  short  weight  reaching  into  her  market  basket 
and  taking  the  food  that  would  otherwise  go  into  the 
mouths  of  her  hungry  children. 

Go  at  this  from  another  angle — make  a  flank  attack  on 
the  offender  direct  without  pointing  to  the  merchants  of 
any  particular  class  or  locality. 

Point  out  that  short  weights  do  not  pay  either  a  large 
or  small  business,  that  while  all  customers  do  not  weigh 
the  goods  they  receive,  yet  one  who  does  will  spread  the 
fact  of  offense  to  other  customers  in  the  neighborhood, 
bringing  untold  ill-will  and  loss  of  trade  to  a  merchant.. 

People  act  best,  more  quickly  and  permanently  in  self- 
interest. 

They  soon  forget  the  others'  interest  unless  they  see 
clearly  that  their  own  interest  is  involved. 

People  have  a  way  of  coming  to  shortly  after  an  emo-^ 
tional  treatment. 

There  is  much  sound  doctrine  here,  though  the  de- 
precation of  direct  appeals  to  the  feelings  is  not  con- 
vincing since  the  days  of  the  war  drives.  Moreover, 
self-interest  is  powerful  largely  because  its  roots  lie 
in  the  deepest  human  instincts. 

When  Sympathy  Is  Quickened. — An  editor  learns 
that  a  fashionable  gun  club  is  using  live  pigeons  for 
targets,  and  that  scores  of  wounded  birds  crawl  away 
into  the  grass  or  hedges  to  die.  Evidently  this  is  a 
subject  for  editorial  handling  that  requires  no  argu- 
ment and  no  exposition,  but  only  a  few  sentences  of 

89 


THE  EDITORIAL 

description  followed  by  persuasion  towards  such 
action  as  the  editor  thinks  desirable.  This  will  be  true 
of  most  editorials  with  humanitarian  motives. 

Likewise  an  editorial  of  almost  pure  persuasion  may 
be  written  around  questions  of  public  safety,  such,  for 
example,  as  a  liberty  loan;  but  the  element  of  in- 
formation, interpretation,  and  argument  is  likely  to 
be  large. 

When  persuasion  is  used  in  an  editorial,  it  is  almost 
always  in  an  editorial  dealing  with  some  local  matter, 
because  it  is  only  in  such  matters  that  a  newspaper  is 
likely  to  attempt  results  directly  through  action  by  its 
readers.  Appeals  for  support  of  charitable  enterprises 
or  for  subscriptions  towards  a  public  improvement  are 
familiar  enough.  The  following  from  the  Kansas 
City  Star  is  a  conservative  example  of  this  type : 


IMPROVE  SWOPE  PARKl 

The  bond  issue  for  Swope  Park  con- 
templated by  the  Park  Board  ought  to 
be  considered,  not  as  an  expense,  but 
as  a  necessary  investment.  Kansas  City 
must  supply  artificially  the  outdoor  rec- 
reation facilities  that  are  furnished  by 
nature  to  cities  near  large  bodies  of 
water  or  near  the  mountains.  Other- 
wise it  will  be  under  a  handicap  in 
competing  with  these  cities. 

The  big  amusement  need  for  Kansas 
City  is  the  opportunity  for  water  sports 
— for  bathing  and  boating.  This  need 
has  been  met  in  a  trifling  way  by  the 
public  baths  and  the  Swope  Park  La- 
goon. But  there  is  need  for  a  large 
and  accessible  lake  in  the  park,  and 
for  the  improvement  of  the  Blue  from 
the  park  to  its  mouth. 

90 


EDITORIAL  PURPOSES 

Any  one  who  has  seen  the  tnormous 
crowds  that  patronize  the  bathing 
beaches  about  Boston,  New  York,  Cleve- 
land, Chicago,  will  appreciate  the  un- 
realized possibilities  in  Kansas  City. 
Why,  with  adequate  facilities  for  water 
sports,  people  would  forget  that  it  ever 
is  hot  in  Kansas  City,  and  would  look 
on  it  as  a  privilege  to  spend  the  sum- 
mer here. 

But  this  result  can  never  be  brought 
about  without  a  bond  issue.  Kansas 
City  is  amply  able  to  afford  the  invest- 
ment. It  would  pay  big  returns  in  com- 
fort and  happiness  and  contentment.  It 
ought  to  be  made  big  enough  to  cover 
the  improvements  necessary  for  several 
years  ahead. 

Let's  get  the  enjoyment  out  of  Swope 
Park  and  the  Blue  now,  in  the  im- 
mediate present.  Posterity  can  take 
care  of  itself.  Let's  look  after  the 
present  generation ! 

Persuasion  in  an  editorial  comes  naturally  towards 
the  close,  but  is  equally  effective  at  the  beginning  if  no 
need  exists  for  preparing  the  reader  to  receive  it  hos- 
pitably. In  the  first  and  last  paragraphs  of  this  edi- 
torial from  the  New  York  World,  persuasion  is  about 
equally  strong: 

GREEN  MOTORMAN'S  DAY  PAST 

One  result  of  the  accident  on  the 
Brooklyn  Rapid  Transit  Friday  evening 
should  be  the  passage  by  the  Board  of 
Aldermen  of  an  ordinance  to  make  it 
mandatory  on  traction  companies  in  this 
city  to  place  only  experienced  motor- 
men  in  charge  of  subway  and  elevated 
trains.  *  *  * 

Let  us  not  only  make  laws  to  give 
the   fullest  protection   to   the  traveling 

91 


THE  EDITORIAL 

public,  but  let  us  see  that  they  are  en- 
forced. And  when  officials  show  such 
an  utter  disregard  of  human  life  as  they 
did  last  Friday  in  Brooklyn  let  us  be 
in  a  position  to  do  something  about  it 
that  will  count,  except  talk. 


The  spirited  tone  of  this  editorial  from  the  Philadel- 
phia Public  Ledger  is  persuasive,  though  the  concrete 
suggestion  is  left  for  the  last  sentence : 


THE  GROTESQUE  BOTTLE 
WASTAGE 

For  years  the  streets  of  the  residence 
sections  of  the  city  have  been  strewn 
with  broken  bottles,  and  neither  the 
milk  companies  nor  the  police  nor  any 
of  the  various  organizations  that  are 
supposedly  at  work  teaching  home 
economies  and  high  civic  ideals  have 
put  a  check  on  the  wastage,  which  is 
beyond  all  reason.  That  the  wastage 
is  the  greater  in  the  poorer  parts  of 
the  city  any  one  familiar  with  the  life 
in  small  streets  well  knows.  And  that 
the  continuing  destruction  of  what  is 
not  a  cheap  product,  but,  in  a  sense, 
is  a  luxurious  adjunct  to  modern  meth- 
ods of  milk  delivery,  goes  on  is  only 
another  example  of  that  extreme  ex- 
travagance that  makes  the  cost  of  cer- 
tain food  supplies  steadily  rise  even 
where  other  factors  do  not  come  into 
play.  When  it  is  also  noted  that  many 
of  those  who  do  nothing  to  prevent  the 
breaking  of  these  bottles  by  the  chil- 
dren are  in  many  cases  recent  arrivals, 
who  if  they  were  served  with  milk  in 
glass  bottles  in  their  native  villages  in 
the  East  of  Europe  would  think  that 
the  age  of  miracles  was  at  hand,  sim- 
ply adds  another  element  in  incredibly 
blind  carelessness  to  the  waste  that  calls 

92 


EDITORIAL  PURPOSES 

for  a  radical  remedy.  For  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  bottles  is  not  only  an  ele- 
ment in  the  cost  of  milk,  but  it  adds 
materially  to  the  menace  to  life  and 
limb  and  to  the  dangers  to  motor-cars 
that  the  glass-littered  streets  afford  and 
is  absolutely  uneconomic  and  without 
excuse.  So  why  should  not  the  auto- 
mobile folk,  the  Civic  Club,  the  police, 
the  Street  Cleaning  Department  and 
above  all  the  milk  dealers  combine  to 
stop  so  stupid  a  practice?  A  few  ar- 
rests of  bottle  breakers  and  of  house- 
holders whose  sidewalks  and  pave- 
ments are  a  layer  of  broken  glass 
would  bring  the  wasters  to  their  senses. 

5.  The  General  Type. — We  have  now  separated, 
for  the  purpose  of  analysis,  editorials  having  to  do 
•with,  apprehension,  comprehension,  belief,  and  voli- 
tion on  the  part  of  the  reader.  The  fifth  editorial  type 
has  for  its  purpose  to  entertain.  To  be  sure  any  type 
of  the  editorial  must  be  entertaining,  that  is,  it  must 
be  interesting;  but  this  last  forsakes  almost  entirely 
the  serious  tone  of  the  preceding  four  types.  It  is 
written  to  please  the  reader's  taste  for  wit  and  humor. 
It  is  nothing  more  than  an  essay  with  cleverness  for 
its  predominant  characteristic.  It  is  essentially  a  form 
of  the  interpretive  or  expositional  editorial,  with  a 
characteristic  purpose  entitling  it  to  separate  consid- 
eration. More  than  any  other  type,  it  depends  for  its 
success  on  style  in  writing. 

Editorials  written  solely  for  the  purpose  of  enter- 
taining the  reader  are  found  not  infrequently  in  al- 
most all  newspapers,  but  the  entertainment  element  is 
also    frequently    found    supplementing   more    serious 

93 


THE  EDITORIAL 

editorial  matter,  for  example,  it  is  useful  as  a  mode  of 
enlivening  statistical  information  otherwise  dry. 

The  motive  for  the  editorial  of  entertainment  is 
almost  purely  literary,  and  the  opinion  is  sometimes 
expressed  that  such  essays  do  not  belong  in  the  edi- 
torial column.  It  must  be  remembered,  however,  that 
there  is  no  written  nor  unwritten  law  as  to  what  be- 
longs in  editorial  columns.  Only  editors  are  the  judges 
of  this  matter  and  while  the  editorial  of  entertainment 
is  nowhere  used  so  extensively  as  formerly  in  the 
columns  of  the  New  York  Sun,  it  is  still  a  well  estab- 
lished type  and  its  disappearance  would  impoverish 
editorial  pages. 

Representing  the  "old"  Sun,  the  following  open- 
ings are  selected  from  two  editorials  typical  of  the 
collection  of  two  hundred  or  more  appearing  in  book 
form  as  "Casual  Essays  of  the  Sun" : 

COLLEGE  YELLS 

The  Topeka  Capital  insists  that 
"Eastern  colleges  are  conventional, 
monotonous,  and  solemn,  as  becomes 
that  staid  and  somnolent  section,"  and 
it  lauds  "the  variety  and  ginger"  of  the 
Western  college  yells.  It  gives  the  place 
of  honor  among  these  to  the  "yell"  of 
the  University  of  Kansas: 

"Rock  chalk! 
Jayhawk! 

K.  ur 

Our  Grasshopper  contemporary  re- 
gards this  as  "a  model  historically,  geo- 
logically, and  euphoniously."  Well,  it 
is  a  short  and  explosive  cry,  and  may 

94 


EDITORIAL  PURPOSES 

be  supposed  to  answer  the  great  and 
wise  purposes  of  a  college  "yell,"  to 
set  off  the  superiority  of  the  lungs  of 
the  yellers  and  to  strike  terror  and 
amazement  into  the  ears  of  the  hear- 
ers. As  Indians  become  rarer,  the  un- 
dergraduate warwhoop  grows  more  in- 
teresting as  a  sort  of  survival;  and 
properly  trained  parents  will  take  their 
children  to  hear  it.  They  are  queer  bits 
of  patter  and  howl,  many  of  the  col- 
lege "yells,"  and  a  visitor  from  Corca, 
for  instance,  would  probably  wonder 
among  what  wild  tribes  he  had  fallen 
if  he  went  to  a  football  game.  "Sav- 
ages fighting  on  the  ground ;  and  men 
yelling  unintelligently  from  the  bench- 
es," might  be  his  mistaken  description. 

CURIOSITIES    OF   AMERICAN 
SPEECH 

Is  a  pancake  fried  or  baked,  or  sim- 
ply cooked?  Is  it  after  all  really  a 
pancake  and  not  rather  a  griddle  cake, 
a  flannel  cake,  a  buckwheat  or  a  flap- 
jack? What  is  a  doughnut?  When 
you  tear  your  trousers  on  a  sharp  point 
is  the  first  word  you  instinctively  apply 
to  the  rectangular  rent,  trappatch,  barn- 
door, or  weekwary,  as  says  the  New 
Englander,  or  is  it  winklehawk  or 
nicklehawk,  as  New  Yorkers  say? 
What  do  you  mean  by  dingbats?  How 
widespread  is  the  use  of  the  shinny? 

An  idea  of  the  variety  in  the  Sun's  menu  may  be 
formed  by  reading  the  chapter  headings  under  which 
the  essays  are  grouped : 

The  Good  Old  Times. 
Influence  of  Pie  and  Other  Eat- 
ables ON   CiVIUZATION. 

Famous   Men  and  Institutions. 
95 


THE  EDITORIAL 

Old  Age,  Youth  and  Childhood. 

Poets,  Old  and  New,  in  Verse  and 
Prose. 

Lovers,  Sweethej\rts  and  Others. 

Mere  Man,  His  Wife  and  His 
Mother-in-Law. 

Questions  of  Propriety  and  Success 
in  Life. 

The  Cup  that  Cheers, 

Discourses  on  Natural  History. 

Names. 

Fashions  furnish  subjects  attractive  to  editors,  as 
witness  this  from  the  New  York  Tribune: 


BLUE  GODDESSES 

Like  the  bluebirds  of  autumn,  first 
one  alone,  then  a  pair,  then  flocks,  the 
new  frocks  have  fluttered  forth  upon 
Fifth  Avenue.  Did  the  dressmakers  of 
Paris  feel  that  a  uniform  must  some- 
how be  achieved  for  women  ?  Or  did 
they  simply  become  weary  of  styles,  as 
they  so  long  had  been,  and  resolve  that 
something,  anything,  must  be  done? 
We  can  leave  it  to  the  interpreters  of 
fashion  to  debate;  the  thing  is,  here. 

The  unobservant  masculine  eye  might 
be  puzzled  by  these  new  apparitions — 
so  absolutely  like  all  that  has  gone  be- 
fore, so  absolutely  different.  The  dark 
blue  flapper  frock  is  no  new  thought 
in  itself.  But  these  casements,  long  and 
sheath-like  of  skirt  and  very  high  and 
chaste  of  collar — it  surely  took  true 
imagination  and  ingenuity  to  make  in 
the  name  of  war  economy  a  style  so 
peculiar   and   inevitable   and   expensive. 

Somber  has  been  one  criticism  of 
these  dark  blue  draperies.  But  this  all 
depends  on  whether  you  view  the  frock 
as  a  thing  alone  or  as  a  companion 
piece  for  an  olive  drab  uniform  deco- 

96 


EDITORIAL  PURPOSES 

rated  with  shoulder  bars  and  service 
stripes.  There  is  the  secret  of  the  blue 
goddess's  success.  She  is  not  meant  to 
fly  alone.  She  is  but  a  background,  si- 
lent, reserved,  dignified,  but  oh,  so  neat, 
so  attentive,  so  proud,  so  extrava- 
gantly economical !  What  hero  could 
wish  for  more ! 

This  general  type  of  editorial  is  not,  of  course,  al- 
ways humorous  throughout.  Here  is  one  with  a  touch 
of  pathos,  written  by  William  Allen  White  of  the 
Emporia  Gasette: 

Bill  Colyar  brought  us  in  our  an- 
nual pawpaw  to-day,  and  we  have 
tucked  it  away  where  it  will  do  us  the 
most  good.  We  know  not  how  it  may 
affect  others,  but  we  have  managed  one 
way  or  another  to  eat  at  least  a  paw- 
paw a  year  for  the  past  fifty  years. 
And  we  have  noticed  this :  Every  year 
that  we  have  eaten  a  pawpaw  we  have 
lived  until  the  following  summer.  It 
may  not  work  that  way  with  every 
one;  but  certainly  the  pawpaws  have 
kept  us  alive  from  year  to  year.  It  is 
a  great  fruit,  the  pawpaw ;  a  kind  of 
atavistic  throw-back  to  a  custard  pie 
on  its  mother's  side  and  a  bullhead  cat- 
fish on  its  father's  side,  carrying  the 
aroma  and  consistency  of  the  one  and 
the   bones   and   sins   of  the   father. 

But  it  is  the  saddest  fruit  in  the 
world,  too.  It  recalls  woods  and  fields 
that  are  streets  now,  times  that  are 
gone  now,  days  that  are  memories,  and 
boys   who   are   dead ! 

May  Use  One  or  All. — Briefly  to  illustrate  the 
five  types  of  editorial  writing,  from  the  point  of  view 
of  a  single  subject,  suppose  that  an  editor  contem- 

97 


THE  EDITORIAL 

plated  handling  the  matter  of  milk  inspection.  He 
might  write  a  very  informative  editorial,  giving  the 
scientific  facts  about  milk  contamination  and  inspec- 
tion. Such  an  editorial  might  be  useful  as  one  step  in 
a  campaign  for  sanitation.  Or  he  might  write  an 
editorial  of  interpretation  which  would  set  forth  the 
probable  effects  of  the  proposed  program  on  the  health 
of  the  community,  the  price  of  milk,  the  dairying  in- 
dustry, and  the  state-wide  movement  for  better  living 
conditions.  Or  he  might  write  an  argumentative  edi- 
torial devoted  entirely  to  proving  by  facts  and  figures 
that  inspection  would  be  a  good  thing  for  the  dairy- 
men as  well  as  for  the  children.  Or  he  might  write 
a  persuasive  editorial  calculated  to  point  the  way  to 
action  on  the  part  of  his  readers  which  would  result 
in  enforcement  of  the  ordinance  covering  milk  in- 
spection. Or  he  might  write  a  humorous  editorial 
exaggerating,  more  or  less,  the  dramatic  episodes  in 
the  life  of  the  milk  inspector  or  perhaps  a  pseudo- 
regretful  contrast  between  the  genuine  natural  milk 
that  father  used  to  let  us  drink  out  of  the  pail,  with 
a  few  honest  hairs  in  it,  and  the  modern  dairy  product, 
with  the  correct  number  of  microbes  and  carefully 
counted  atoms  of  butter  fat,  but  no  romance. 

It  might  be  that,  in  practice,  no  editor  would  be 
likely  to  write  according  to  a  single  type  alone, — un- 
less it  might  be  the  fifth  type, — but  the  fact  remains 
that  such  analysis  as  we  have  attempted  helps  to 
acquaint  the  writer  with  the  possibilities  of  his  craft. 
The  important  thing  is  that  before  he  goes  to  work  he 
shall  have  a  clearly  defined  purpose,  though  his  pur- 

98 


EDITORIAL  PURPOSES 

pose  may  call  for  a  mixture  of  all  the  types  of  edi- 
torial writing  that  can  be  isolated  by  analysis. 

Certainly  the  beginner  in  editorial  writing  will  find 
it  helpful  to  employ  such  methods  of  analysis  and 
classification  as  the  one  oflfered  here. 

One  editor  of  note  has  described  editorial  purposes 
as:  (i)  to  praise,  (2)  to  blame,  (3)  to  criticize,  (4) 
to  create  dissatisfaction.  These  seem  to  refer  prin- 
.cipally  to  the  content  of  the  editorial.  Editorial  pur- 
poses are  described  in  final  terms  only  when  they  re- 
fer to  the  effect  sought  on  the  reader's  mind.  The 
ultimate  purpose  of  an  editorial  does  not  have  to  do 
with  its  content,  but  with  its  effect  on  the  composite 
reader  or  readers  collectively.  Praise,  or  blame,  or 
criticism  may  be  used  to  inform,  to  interpret,  to  con- 
vince, to  influence,  or  even  to  entertain. 

But  if  any  one  finds  it  helpful  to  classify  editorials 
superficially  as  to  content,  he  should  be  encouraged 
to  do  so.  The  important  thing  is  that  the  person  who 
is  to  devote  the  whole  or  a  part  of  his  life  to  editorial 
writing  should  make  it  a  subject  of  serious  study,  en- 
deavoring to  get  a  view  of  it  in  what  may  be  called  its 
scientific  aspects. 


CHAPTER  VI 
BUILDING   THE   EDITORIAL 

The  limitless  variety  of  forms  for  the  editorial  is 
in  striking  contrast  with  the  comparatively  simple 
organization  of  the  news  story.  While  the  structure 
of  the  news  story  affords  considerable  opportunity 
for  "skilled  labor,"  the  form  regularly  used  is  almost 
stereotyped.  The  principle  governing  the  architecture 
of  a  news  story  is  that  the  first  consideration  is  a 
quick  delivery  of  the  essential  facts,  economizing  the 
time  of  the  reading  public,  followed  by  such  elabora- 
tion as  may  be  desired  by  any  considerable  proportion 
of  readers.  Governing  the  whole  proceeding  is  the 
law  of  reader  interest,  active  or  latent. 

The  organization  of  an  editorial  is  influenced  by 
no  such  demands  for  rapidity,  and  the  "gist  of  the 
story"  seldom  appears  in  the  opening  paragraph.  The 
law  of  reader  interest  governs,  as  in  the  news  story; 
but  the  editorial  writer  has  far  more  freedom  of 
action  in  winning  attention.  The  news  writer  is 
limited  to  the  facts  of  the  story;  the  editorial  writer 
is  limited  by  nothing  but  the  bounds  of  his  informa- 
tion and  the  reach  of  his  ingenuity. 

This  latitude  for  the  play  of  skill  goes  far  to  com- 
loo 


»l»»>»»l 


^^i^^ 


JjJU'hikA 


mm^-fi 


.  I»«  ■*    M» 


In  Mourning  for  President  Lincoln. 


lOI 


THE  EDITORIAL 

pensate  the  editor  for  his  handicap  in  competition  with 
the  reporter  whose  offerings  to  the  pubUc  are  of 
greater  intrinsic  interest  than  anything  else  in  the 
paper. 

The  Principal  Factors. — Three  main  factors  are 
to  be  borne  in  mind  when  building  an  editorial :  The 
materials,  the  public,  the  policies  of  the  paper. 

However  quickly  the  skilled  editor  may  perform  the 
task  of  organization,  the  process  involves  several  well 
defined  steps.  The  fact  that  an  editorial  writer  may 
successfully  organize  his  materials,  even  as  he  writes, 
should  not  obscure  the  nature  of  the  process.  It 
should  be  said  in  this  connection  that  the  inexperi- 
enced writer  who  does  not  have  his  work  carefully 
blocked  out  before  he  begins  writing  is  courting  dis- 
aster. To  say  that  much  editorial  writing  is  done  in 
slipshod  manner  is  but  to  state  one  of  the  principal 
reasons  for  its  lack  of  effectiveness.  Nothing  but  the 
mere  details  of  organization  may  safely  be  attended 
to  as  one  writes. 

A  Lesson  from  Salesmanship. — Until  thoughtful 
students  of  salesmanship — psychologists,  whether  or 
not  they  call  themselves  such — analyzed  the  sales  op- 
eration into  its  several  parts,  there  was  no  such  thing 
as  an  intelligent  or  scientific  method  of  developing 
sales  ability.  Since  this  analysis  has  been  accom- 
plished, education  in  salesmanship  for  the  inexperi- 
enced, and  intelligent  self-improvement  of  methods  by 
the  veteran  salesman,  have  been  made  possible.  In  a 
similar  manner,  separation  of  the  steps  by  which  any 
piece  of  successful  writing  is  produced — excepting,  of 

I02 


BUILDING  THE  EDITORIAL 

course,  those  inspired  works  for  the  creation  of  which 
genius  is  supposed  to  assume  control  of  the  human 
agent — enables  a  writer  to  work  constantly  towards  a 
chosen  end,  to  avoid  the  irrelevant,  to  be  sure  that  he 
is  doing  his  utmost  to  carry  the  reader  with  him.  This 
subjecting  of  the  editorial  building  process  to  analysis 
is  comparable  to  the  slowing  down  of  action  accom- 
plished in  those  moving  picture  films  which  present  de- 
liberately to  the  beholder  every  detail  of  such  rapid 
movements  as  pole  vaulting  or  throwing  a  ball. 

Looking  Over  the  Pile. — Organization  may  be 
said  to  begin  at  the  point  where  the  editor,  having 
gathered  his  materials  on  any  given  subject,  by  means 
of  reading  or  observation  or  reflection  or  conversation 
or  experience,  sees  them,  as  it  were,  dumped  in  a  pile 
before  him.  He  will,  of  course,  have  had  from  the 
first  a  tentative  idea  of  the  form  of  the  editorial,  and 
will  have  been  guided,  in  his  quest  of  materials,  by 
that  idea ;  but  the  main  task  of  organization  is  yet  to 
be  performed.  The  first  step  calls  for  the  separation 
of  the  conglomerate  mass  of  facts,  opinions,  argu- 
ments, appeals,  examples,  into  separate  piles  accord- 
ing to  their  relationships.  Whether  or  not  a  writer 
is  assisted  by  the  visualizing  method  of  making  notes 
on  paper,  the  process  will  be  the  same. 

Assume  There  Will  Be  a  Reader. — Having  thus 
classified  his  materials,  the  judicious  editor  considers 
carefully  his  reading  public  in  relation  to  the  subject 
he  is  handling : 

I.  What  is  the  present  information  of  the  public 
on  the  subject  to  be  presented  ? 

103 


THE  EDITORIAL 

2.  Is  there  an  awakened  interest  in  the  matter,  or 
must  latent  interest  be  aroused? 

3.  What  about  the  typical  reader's  receptivity — his 
prejudice  for  or  against? 

4.  Is  it  necessary  to  write  primarily  for  the  "think- 
ing public,"  or  for  those  having  lower  intellectual  in- 
terests ? 

5.  Is  it  a  problem  of  telling  the  public  something 
that  it  wants  to  know,  or  something  that  it  needs  to 
know? 

"Inside"  Considerations. — Having  reached  a  de- 
cision on  such  matters  as  these,  the  editorial  writer 
turns  his  attention  to  the  third  main  consideration, 
the  policies  of  the  paper : 

1.  Does  the  subject  have  close  relation  to  one  of 
those  things  which  the  paper  has  adopted  as  its  spe- 
cial concern? 

2.  Is  it  a  matter  which,  from  the  standpoint  of 
policy,  requires  no  emphasis? 

3.  Is  it  likely  to  initiate  a  long-time  campaign  for 
some  object  involved? 

4.  Does  it  contribute  to  the  advancement  of  some 
movement — political,  social  or  economic — which,  on 
the  whole,  the  paper  regards  as  beneficial? 

Following  the  decision  of  such  general  questions  as 
these,  comes  consideration  of  specific  plans  for  ar- 
rangement of. the  materials. 

A  Prime  Question  of  Detail. — First  comes  the 
choosing  of  the  idea  for  the  opening  sentence  or  para- 
graph which  shall  be  one  hundred  per  cent  effective — 
in  other  words,  getting  the  right  "slant"  on  the  ques- 

104 


BUILDING  THE  EDITORIAL 

tion ;  approaching  it  from  the  best  point  of  view.  This 
is  merely  a  problem  in  salesmanship.  The  editor  is  the 
salesman  and  it  is  his  business  to  present  his  goods 
in  such  a  way  as  to  win  attention  and  interest — a  fair 
chance  for  making  a  "sale."  All  the  skill  of  the  trained 
diplomat  is  called  for  at  this  point.  It  is  true  that  an 
editorial  does  not  ''need  a  porch" ;  but  an  attractive 
doorstep  and  entrance  are  quite  essential. 

In  discussing  these  questions  as  to  approaching  the 
subject,  a  veteran  Boston  editor  says :  "No  two  writers 
will  ever  approach  or  handle  the  same  subject  from 
the  same  angle  or  in  the  same  way.  Their  points  of 
view  are  not  the  same;  the  impressions  they  draw  are 
different ;  their  conclusions  may  be  as  far  apart  as  the 
antipodes.  Of  course,  there  are  some  general  lines 
that  all  will  follow.  There  is  adherence,  for  example, 
to  established  policy.  There  are  unwritten  but  plainly 
discernible  laws,  called  oflfice  usage,  which  all  alike 
observe.  The  editorial  writer  should  know,  and  with 
a  considerable  degree  of  nicety,  for  instance,  just  what 
his  latitude  is  in  the  treatment  of  his  subjects.  He 
ought  to  have  the  "feel"  of  his  office.  He  must  realize 
that  he  is  not  talking  for  himself,  but  for  his  news- 
paper and  for  all  that  it  represents ;  he  should  realize 
as  he  writes  that  others  must  bear  the  larger  share 
of  the  responsibility  for  what  he  says  and  for  his  man- 
ner of  saying  it;  he  must  take  into  his  consciousness 
the  fact  that  thousands  everywhere  will  accept  the 
views  to  which  he  gives  expression  as  those  of  one 
having  authority." 

Disarming     Antagonism. — The     main     difficulty 

105 


THE  EDITORIAL 

may  be  to  find  an  idea  which  can  be  relied  upon  to 
disarm  antagonism  known  to  exist,  so  as  to  secure  an 
open-minded  hearing. 

In  one  office,  the  way  to  go  about  it  is  described 
thus: 

Expression  can  be  tempered,  softened  in  a  way  as  to 
state  almost  any  honest  conclusion. 

Benjamin  Franklin  handled  these  situations  by  saying: 
"An  old  man  once  told  me." 

In  this  way  he  presented  the  idea  without  the  responsi- 
bility of  direct  statement  and  softened  it  with  the  element 
of  age. 

On  the  treatment  of  subjects  where  the  readers  are 
known  to  hold  another  view  it  is  well  to  state  frankly 
that  there  is  another  view,  about  as  follows : 

"Obviously,  there  are  two  sides  to  this  question,  and 
this  is  only  one  side." 

Many  people  deprecate  drastic  action  aimed  at 
breaking  down  methods  of  doing  things  which  are  well 
estabhshed,  but  not  abreast  of  the  times.  In  the  fol- 
lowing editorial,  the  Kansas  City  Journal  leads  off  with 
a  statement  that  everybody  must  assent  to.  After 
that,  it  is  comparatively  easy  to  get  the  reader  to  ac- 
cept the  application  of  the  same  principle  to  the  case 
in  hand. 

LAW   AND   DIRTY   DAIRIES 

What  an  unthinkable  absurdity  it 
would  be  for  a  policeman  to  stand  idly 
by  while  a  highwayman  beat  up  an  in- 
offensive citizen,  on  the  theory  that 
the   law  did  not  seek  to  "punish"   the 

io6 


BUILDING  THE  EDITORIAL 


highwayman  and  would  give  him  an 
hour  or  so  to  stop  his  brutal  assault? 
Yet  that  hypothetical  absurdity  is 
scarcely  less  ridiculous  than  the  pres- 
ent theory  of  the  law  enforcing  agen- 
cies that  those  who  plainly  break  the 
laws  are  entitled  to  a  period  of  ref- 
ormation without  penalties  and  must 
not  be  "punished"  for  wrong-doing,  if 
they  merely  promise  to  behave  at  some 
future  date.  Here  is  a  concrete  il- 
lustration of  the  Kansas  City  idea  of 
how   laws    should    be    enforced : 

Two  city  dairymen  were  cited  two 
weeks  ago  to  appear  before  the  hos- 
pital and  health  board  to  answer  to  the 
charge  of  maintaining  insanitary  dairy 
premises.  Instead  of  meeting  with 
prompt  and  salutary  punishment  for 
thus  endangering  public  health,  these 
offenders  were  given  an  indefinite  num- 
ber of  days  to  "reform." 


Or  the  subject  may  be  so  old  and  so  familiar  that 
the  chief  task  in  opening  the  editorial  is  to  find  some 
way  of  putting  it  in  a  fresh  light. 

The  people  of  Cleveland  were  doubtless  so  familiar 
with  the  need  of  street  signs  as  to  be  immune  to  any 
discussion  of  the  subject  that  did  not  approach  it  from 
an  unusual  angle.    The  Press  handled  it  thus : 


STREET   NAMES 

A  good  many  American  cities  invari- 
ably arrive  at  that  point  in  their  ca- 
reers where  they  acquire  the  self-con- 
ceit that  they  are  so  big,  so  metropoli- 
tan, so  well  known  that  when  some  per- 
son from  the  Rest  of  the  World  comes 
along  he  just  naturally  can't  help  know- 
ing  where   Main   Street  is   and   where 

107 


THE  EDITORIAL 

Whoozies  Avenue  intersects  and  where 
Umteenth  Street  branches  off. 

Ninety-nine  times  out  of  a  hundred 
the  stranger  doesn't  know.  He's  there 
on  business.  Or  perhaps  he's  a  motor- 
ist, there  on  pleasure.  Anyway  he 
wants  to  know  how  to  find  his  way 
about. 

He  pauses  at  the  corner  and  cusses. 
He  has  to  appeal  to  a  policeman  or  a 
bystander — because  he  can't  find  any 
street   signs. 

:  Apparently  street  signs  have  gone  out 
of  fashion  in  most  American  cities. 
Mostly  they  do  not  exist. 

Returned  soldiers  will  tell  you  the 
labyrinth  of  streets  in  Paris  is  worse 
than  Boston.  But  he  will  also  tell  you 
that  every  corner  in  Paris  has  its  full 
quota  of  street  signs.  It's  strange — 
but  in  Europe,  supposed  to  be  less  pro- 
gressive than  America,  most  cities  are 
well  equipped  in  this  respect. 

A  stranger  goes  away  with  a  glow 
of  pride  and  a  pat  on  the  back  for  him- 
self and  tells  the  folks  back  home  that 
he  had  no  trouble  at  all  finding  his  way 
around.  It's  an  automatic  boost  for  the 
city. 

Then  comes  the  question:  will  the  best  results  be 
likely  to  follow  a  direct,  positive,  open,  smashing  ap- 
proach or  an  indirect,  interrogative  or  human-interest 
manner  of  opening? 

This  opening  paragraph  of  an  editorial  from  the 
Chicago  Tribune  states  forcefully  the  paper's  attitude : 


THE  COLOMBIAN  SANDBAG 

Colombia  wants  from  the  United 
States  $25,000,000  because  we  built  a 
world    institution,    the    Panama    Canal, 

108 


BUILDING  THE  EDITORIAL 

which  Colombia  never  could  have  built 
and  which  Colombiji  would  have  pre- 
vented had  it  been  possible.  If  we  pay 
the  $25,000,000  it  is  hush  money.  It 
is   no  good    disguising  it. 


The  editor  of  the  Philadelphia  Public  Ledger  evi- 
dently saw  no  reason  for  beating  about  the  bush  in 
this  instance: 


THE  PREACHER'S  PAY 

The  wages  of  ministers  have  always 
been  too  low;  everybody  knows  that 
periodically  efforts  are  made  to  raise 
the  salaries,  and  of  late  these  attempts 
have  been  crowned  with  noteworthy 
success  in  the  case  of  several  of  the 
leading  denominations.  But  there  is 
still  small  risk,  apparently,  of  the  pro- 
fession of  the  clergyman  being  over- 
paid. 


Then  follows  an  account  of  a  specific  instance  taken 
from  the  editor's  acquaintance. 

In  this  connection  it  may  be  said  that  the  specific 
instance  has  wonderful  appeal  as  an  editorial  open- 
ing. Its  use  would  have  strengthened  the  editorial  just 
quoted.  It  has  for  the  adult  reader  the  same  fascina- 
tion that  "Once  upon  a  time"  has  for  the  child. 

In  the  following  from  the  Washington  Evening  Star, 
the  narrative  opening  leads  directly  to  the  thesis  of  the 
editorial : 

THE  BATHING   BEACH   DROWN- 
ING 

A  man  was  drowned  the  other  after- 
noon at  the  bathing  beach.  One  of  his 
companions    declares    that    indifference 

109 


THE  EDITORIAL 


was  shown  by  the  lifeguard  when  the 
man's  disappearance  was  noted  and  that 
long  delay  occurred  before  aid  was  ren- 
dered. It  develops,  too,  that  there  is 
at  the  beach  no  pulmotor  for  the  re- 
suscitation of  those  overcome  in  the 
water.  A  coroner's  inquest  has  been 
ordered  and  will  doubtless  disclose  the 
facts. 

It  is  of  the  utmost  importance  to  as- 
sure the  fullest  possible  safeguards  at 
the  beach  against  accidents.  Bathers 
will  get  beyond  their  depth  and  will  be 
in  danger  of  drowning.  If  there  are 
not  enough  lifeguards  more  must  be 
provided.  If  those  on  duty  are  not 
competent  or  alert  to  respond  to  calls 
for  aid  they  must  be  replaced  by  oth- 


As  an  example  of  the  oblique  approach,  the  follow- 
ing is  reprinted  from  an  editorial  in  the  Christian 
Science  Monitor  dealing  with  the  upheavals  in  govern- 
ment in  Costa  Rica  and  in  Peru : 


POPULAR  WILL  AND  THE  COUP 
D'ETAT 

Anybody  who  is  at  all  familiar  with 
the  idea  that  gives  distinctive  character 
to  the  United  States  form  of  govern- 
ment must  see  clearly  that  there  is  no 
place  in  the  neighborhood  of  that  idea 
for  sympathy  with  what,  in  politics,  is 
known  as  a  coup  d'etat.  The  very  es- 
sence of  a  coup  d'etat  is  sudden,  de- 
cisive exercise  of  power  for  subversion 
of  existing  government  without  the  con- 
sent of  the  people,  whereas  the  United 
States  idea  would  debar  all  essential 
change  in  the  form  of  government  ex- 
cepting when  based  on  the  deliberate 
expression   of  the  will  of   the  popular 

IIO 


BUILDING  THE  EDITORIAL 

majority.  The  United  States  may  be 
said  to  manifest  a  constitutional  aver- 
sion to  such  a  thing  as  a  coup  d'etat; 
yet,  while  the  country  incurs  small  like- 
lihood of  having  to  deal  with  that  kind 
of  political  effort  at  home,  it  has  more 
than  once  been  brought  face  to  face 
with  it  in  other  countries,  and  is  even 
now  in  a  position  of  some  question  by 
reason  of  so-called  coups  d'etat  that 
have  recently  brought  about  political 
changes  in  two  rather  important  coun- 
tries to  the  south. 

In  discussing  so  trite  a  subject  as  the  value  of  high 
thinking  and  serious  purposes,  the  Minneapolis  Journal 
chose  a  human-interest  or  whimsical  opening : 


THE  SLEEPLESS  BROWNIES 

"How  often,"  exclaims  Robert  Louis 
Stevenson,  "have  these  sleepless  Brown- 
ies done  me  honest  service,  and  given 
me,  as  I  sat  idly  taking  my  pleasure 
in  the  boxes,  better  tales  than  I  could 
fashion   myself !" 

Nearly  every  one  is  acquainted  with 
these  Brownies.  How  often  one  tries 
to  recall  a  friend's  name,  but  it  does 
not  come  upon  demand !  Hours  or  even 
days  pass ;  suddenly,  when  least  ex- 
pected, it  flashes  across  the  mind.  Or 
possibly  it  is  a  mathematical  problem 
that  has  been  troubling  the  student. 
He  works  and  works,  but  without  avail. 
Then  some  morning,  with  the  first 
awakening,  the  solution  is  delivered  be- 
fore the  breakfast  hour. 

The  old  school  of  thinkers  used  to 
call  this  inspiration  or  revelation. 
There  were  Brownies  in  the  mind, 
sprites  or  fairies.  They  came  down 
from  upon  high.  Inspiration  was 
breathed     into    one    from    without — it 

III 


THE  EDITORIAL 

came  when  it  would,  and  there  was  no 
controlling  it. 

Modern  psychology  admits  the  pres- 
ence of  these  Brownies  in  the  mind, 
but  says  that  they  are  not  supernatural. 
Brownies  come  from  the  cellar  of  the 
house  of  life.  They  dwell  beneath  the 
threshold  of  the  mind  in  the  regions 
of  the  subconscious. 

Let  us  consider  typical  openings  used  for  editorials 
of  the  five  main  types  or  purposes. 

If  the  predominant  purpose  is  to  give  information, 
the  opening  sentences  will  present  merely  some  strik- 
ing and  interesting  fact,  as  in  this  editorial  from  the 
New  York  Tribune. 

JUNE— TWENTY  YEARS  AFTER 

Twenty  years  ago  there  might  have 
been  point  in  remarking,  "What  is  so 
rare  as  a  play  in  June?"  Files  of  the 
Tribune  reveal  that  back  in  June,  1899, 
only  five  theaters  were  open.  New  York 
was  less  populous  then,  of  course.  Its 
weather  was  no  warmer,  however,  al- 
though men  dressed  more  warmly. 
That  was  before  Palm  Beach  had  be- 
come a  textile  and  while  waistcoats'  were 
still  listed  as  essentials.  In  that  state^ 
theater  going  and  ice  skating  were  still 
winter  sports. 

If  the  purpose  is  interpretation,  the  opening  may  be 
designed  merely  to  whet  the  reader's  interest  in  know- 
ing the  answer,  as  in  this  from  the  New  York  Times: 

THE  BOOKLOVER'S  SHOP 

What  has  become  of  the  old-fashioned 
book   shop,   the   booklover's    shop?     It 

112 


BUILDING  THE  EDITORIAL 

is  a  place  of  fragrant  memory.  There 
the  schoolboy  bought  his  first  textbooks, 
while  on  the  serried  shelves  and  well 
stocked  counters  he  got  his  earliest  and 
deeply  awed  idea  of  how  much  there 
is  to  know  in  the  world.  The  studi- 
ous youth  ransacked  its  treasures,  cast- 
ing oblique  glances,  perchance,  at  the 
radiant  young  thing  buying  a  novel, 
whose  very  presence  filled  him  with  de- 
light and  consternation.  There  the  vil- 
lage lawyer,  doctor,  and  minister  came 
at  the  noon  hour  to  get  the  morning 
paper,  fresh  from  the  city,  and  lingered 
to  exchange  professional  experiences  or 
to  discuss  the  latest  books,  of  which 
they  had  read  in  a  quarterly  review. 
The  proprietor  was  a  host  in  the  true 
sense  of  the  word,  welcoming  each  and 
all  with  the  personal  glance,  the  inti- 
mate word,  and  assisting  in  the  most 
thrilling  of  all  adventures — which  is  to 
dip  into  a  tempting  volume,  weigh  it, 
resist  it  prudently  for  days  perhaps, 
and  then  buy  it  triumphantly,  to  be  for- 
ever one's  own. 

Similarly,  when  the  object  is  interpretation  of  hu- 
man nature,  the  editor  usually  begins  by  stating  the 
problem,  as  in  this  from  the  Topeka  Daily  Capital: 

WHY   BROTHERS    AND    SISTERS 
QUARREL 

Nature  works  in  mysterious  ways. 

We  are  in  receipt  of  a  letter  from  a 
mother,  asking  why  it  is  that  brothers 
and  sisters  never  seem  to  get  on  well 
together ;  that  while  they  may  never 
fight  or  quarrel  yet  they  rarely  live  to- 
gether  in   harmony. 

She  says  that  this  spirit  manifests  it- 
self very  early  in  child  life,  that  it  was 
true  with  herself  and  her  own  brother, 

113 


THE  EDITORIAL 


and  that  it  is  now  true  with  her  young 
son  and  daughter,  and  that  she  has  also 
observed  it  in  the  households  of  her 
neighbors. 


The  Manchester  (England)  Guardian  thus  points 
out  the  meaning  of  two  great  achievements  in  air 
navigation : 

THE  R  34 

There  is  a  story  of  a  Gurkha  bat- 
talion which  took  up  Rugby  football  as 
an  experiment,  and,  when  one  of  the 
players  was  killed,  adopted  it  with  great 
enthusiasm,  declaring  that  a  game  in 
which  a  man  could  have  his  neck  bcoken 
at  the  first  attempt  was  not  to  be 
equaled  by  any  other  known.  The  same 
feeling  partly  explains  how  the  furious 
excitement  caused  by  the  aeroplane 
flights  across  the  Atlantic  has  been  fol- 
lowed by  the  sedate  departure  of  the 
R  34.  The  voyage  of  the  R  34  is  much 
the  more  important  of  the  two.  The 
aeroplane  has  no  future,  and  very  lit- 
tle present,  in  transoceanic  travel ;  the 
flights  from  Newfoundland  were  gal- 
lant adventures,  audacious  essays  in 
the  creation  of  new  "records."  The 
journey  of  the  R  34  is  really  useful  to 
the  human  race.  The  airship  has  a  so- 
cial value.  It  is  not  definite  as  yet, 
but  these  preliminary  voyages  and  a 
few  years'  mechanical  development  will 
help  us  to  define  it.  The  R  34  is  a 
giant,  but  in  the  family  of  giants  it  is 
only  a  youngster  of  some  2,000,000  cu- 
bic feet,  with  a  lift  under  40  tons. 
Shortly  we  shall  have  ships  of  10,000,- 
000  cubic  feet,  not  more  than  twice  the 
bulk  of  the  R  34,  but  with  a  Hft  of 
five  times  as  great — 200  tons  or,  omit- 
ting the  allowance  for  crew  and  water 

114 


BUILDING  THE  EDITORIAL 

ballast,  170  tons  for  fuel  and  freight. 
It  is  already  possible  to  work  out 
roughly  the  capital  charges  for  airships, 
stations,  and  personnel,  but  we  have 
everything  yet  to  learn  about  the  time 
that  is  likely  to  be  taken  in  an  Atlantic 
flight,  the  amount  of  fuel  consumed, 
and  the  risks  and  delay  from  bad 
weather  which  are  involved.  This  voy- 
age of  the  R  34  is  the  beginning  of  our 
knowledge.  That  our  big  airships  can 
cross  the  Atlantic  and  return  is  already 
not  in  doubt;  if  the  first  for  any  rea- 
son failed,  a  second  would  succeed. 
But  whether  a  service  can  be  main- 
tained which  is  regular  as  well  as  fast 
and  which  is  sufficiently  economical  to 
compete  with  the  steamship  on  the  one 
hand  and  the  telegraph  on  the  other — 
that  raises  many  questions.  With  the 
voyage  of  the  R  34  we  are  beginning 
to  grope  after  the  answers. 

It  is  an  old  rule  of  education  to  proceed  from  the 
known  to  the  unknown.  The  rule  is  applicable  to 
editorials.  In  fact  a  special  interest  seems  to  flavor 
an  editorial  that  begins  with  something  so  utterly  well 
known  as  to  arouse  curiosity  regarding  the  purpose 
of  stating  it.  The  "unknown"  in  such  cases  is  usually 
the  clever  drawing  of  a  moral  that  would  hardly  sug- 
gest itself  to  the  mind  of  a  writer  lacking  unusual  im- 
aginative penetration.  The  following  are  the  opening 
paragraphs  from  an  editorial  in  the  New  York  Eve- 
ning Journal: 

DISCONTENT  THE  MOTIVE 
POWER  OF  PROGRESS 

At  first  the  baby  lies  flat  on  his  back, 
eyes   staring  up   at  the   ceiling. 

115 


THE  EDITORIAL 

By  and  by  he  gets  tired  of  lying  on 
his  back.  Discontent  with  his  condi- 
tion makes  him  wriggle  and  wriggle. 
At  last  he  succeeds  in  turning  over. 

If  he  were  contented  then,  there 
would  be  no  men  on  earth — only  huge 
babies.  But  discontent  again  seizes 
him,  and  through  discontent  he  learns 
to  crawl. 

Crawl — traveling  on  hands  and  knees 
— satisfied  lower  forms  of  animal  life. 
It  used  to  satisfy  us,  in  the  old  days  of 
early  evolutionary  stages. 

But  the  human  infant — thanks  to  in- 
born .cravings — is  discontented  with 
crawling.  With  much  trouble  and  risk 
and  many  feeble  totterings,  he  learns 
to  walk  erect.  He  gets  up  into  a  po- 
sition that  takes  his  eyes  oflF  the  ground. 
He  is  able  to  look  at  the  sun  and  stars 
and  takes  the  position  of  a  man.  Dis- 
content is  his  mainspring  at  every  stage. 

What  discontent  does  in  the  limited 
life  of  a  child,  it  does  on  a  much  larger 
scale  in  the  life  of  a  man — and  on  a 
scale  still  larger  in  the  life  of  a 
race. 

The  following,  though  it  is  merely  a  plea  for  con- 
tentment in  spite  of  the  absence  of  an  automobile,  in- 
volves interpretation  of  one  common  aspect  of  life. 
It  is  taken  from  the  Los  Angeles  Tvm.es: 


THE  TRAVELERS 

Somebody — wasn't  it  Price  Collier? 
— once  remarked  that  Socrates  on  his 
donkey  traveled  considerably  further 
than  Willie  Highball  in  his  sixty-horse 
power,  motor  car. 

The  sapiency  of  this  observation  can 
be  best  appreciated,  perhaps,  by  the  man 
who  doesn't  own  a  car.    All  others  are 

ii6 


BUILDING  THE  EDITORIAL 

moving  so  rapidly — nowhere — that  they 
haven't  the  breath  to  stop  to  think  about 
it.  Maybe,  too,  many  of  them  haven't 
the  brain. 

Of  course  Mr.  Collier  was  only  tell- 
ing us  over  again  what  we  have  known 
for  a  long  time — that  the  man  who  stays 
quietly  at  home  sees  more  of  the  world 
than  he  who  trots  all  over  it.  The  cos- 
mos envelops  an  acre  quite  as  com- 
pletely as  it  encircles  a  continent.  All 
roads  lead  to  home  even  more  surely 
than  they  lead  to  Rome.  All  suns  rise 
and  set  behind  our  own  familiar  hills. 

You  and  Socrates  may  travel  to  the 
stars  and  return  early  the  same  night. 


The  following  indirect  approach  to  an  interpretation 
of  the  meaning  of  the  Whitman  Centenary  is  quoted 
from  the  Minneapolis  JoKrnal: 


"^KLT  WHITMAN'S  CENTENARY 

A  question  that  came  before  a  New 
York  court  the  other  day  was  this : 
"Does  a  bagpipe  produce  music  or 
noise?"  The  court  is  still  meditating, 
and  perhaps  looking  up  precedents,  but 
the  court  of  ordinary  common  sense  has 
long  since  handed  down  the  decision 
that  the  bagpipe  produces  music  for  one 
class  of  persons  and  noise  for  another. 

Any  court  would  have  the  same  dif- 
ficulty in  passing  on  the  question 
whether  Walt  Whitman,  who  was  born 
one  hundred  years  ago  yesterday  on 
Long  Island,  was  a  poet.  To  those  who 
admire,  love  and  revere,  and,  what  is 
more,  read  and  absorb  him,  Whitman  is 
among  the  great  names  of  earth. 

If  the  editorial  purpose  is  to  convince  by  argument, 
a  common  practice  is  to  come  immediately  to  the  point 

117 


THE  EDITORIAL 

by  advancing  one  of  the  strongest  reasons  for  the 
position  taken,  as  in  this  selection  from  the  Detroit 
News: 

GIVE  US  THAT  BUDGET   • 

There  is  great  need  to  point  out  again 
that  if  the  United  States  had  an  ex- 
ecutive budget,  the  War  Department 
would  not  now  have  to  endure  the  re- 
proach of  gross  carelessness  in  the  prep- 
aration of  its  estimates. 

Something  is  vitally  wrong  in  a  finan- 
cial system  that  allows  an  appropria- 
tion bill  to  come  before  the  House  with 
a  duplication  of  $2,447,000,000  in  a  total 
of  $8,793,000,000. 

Or,  if  the  editor  knows  that  his  readers  are  opposed 
to  his  view,  he  may  choose  for  his  point  of  departure 
a  bit  of  neutral  ground  on  which  he  and  the  reader 
stand  in  agreement.  In  the  following  from  the  Port- 
land Morning  Oregonian,  sympathy  is  shown  with  the 
opposition  in  order  to  get  consideration  for  the  needs 
of  the  schools: 

WHAT  IS  THE  ALTERNATIVE? 

The  problem  of  new  and  adequate 
schoolhouses  for  Portland  is  not  to  be 
met  by  denying  that  it  exists,  or  by 
merely  voting  down  the  $2,500,000 
bonds.  It  is  not  agreeable  to  contem- 
plate a  large  bond  issue.  It  is  even 
less  agreeable  to  impose  an  additional 
2-mill  tax  levy.  Neither  can  be  done 
without  the  affirmative  action  of  the 
tax  payers.  If  the  bonds  will  not  carry, 
the  2-mill  levy  cannot  carry. 

*  41  *  *  4t 

If  not  bonds^  what?  No  good  citi- 
zen wants   to    impair  the   development 

118 


BUILDING  THE  EDITORIAL 


of  the  school  system,  or  deny  the  chil- 
dren comfortable  and  sanitary  housing; 
but  he  would  like  to  find  some  way  to 
keep  out  of  further  debt  and  yet  do 
this  duty. 

The  Oregonian  will  frankly  say  that 
it  does  not  like  the  idea  of  the  bonds. 
But  it  likes  less  the  apparent  alterna- 
tive— which  is  to  stunt  the  growth  of 
the  public  schools.  Is  there  a  citizen 
anywhere  who  will  say  that  the  schools, 
with  their  admitted  imperfections,  are 
not  worth  all  they  cost,  and  more,  much 
more? 


If  the  purpose  is  to  persuade  to  action,  the  begin- 
ning must  deal  with  whatever  is  necessary  by  way  of 
information,  interpretation,  or  argument  to  prepare  the 
reader  for  whole-hearted  assent  through  suggestion  or 
appeal  to  follow. 

The  New  York  World  made  an  appeal  to  action 
against  the  billboard  evil,  introducing  the  subject  thus ; 


A  BILLPOSTERS'  OFFENSIVE 

That  the  widespread  and  unrestricted 
posting  of  bills  for  the  Fourth  Liberty 
Loan,  probably  the  greatest  advertising 
campaign  the  world  has  ever  known, 
should  result  in  billposting  abuses 
against  private  property  interests  is 
deplorable,  but  not  surprising.  The 
ubiquitous  billposter  never  misses  an  op- 
portunity to  make  himself  disagree- 
able. 


Paving  the  way  for  an  appeal  against  destructive 
criticism,  the  Philadelphia  Public  Ledger  puts  forward 
a  few  generalizations : 

119 


THE  EDITORIAL 

BOOSTING 

The  public  servant  and  the  private 
benefactor  are  boosters. 

They  bring  encouragement  where 
they  go.  They  try  to  find  the  kind  and 
pleasant  thing  to  say.  Yet  they  do  not 
make  themselves  ridiculous  by  an  in- 
discriminate   profusion   of   compliment. 

There  are  always  with  us  the  people 
who  love  the  music  of  the  hammers  of 
destruction. 

They  tear  down  ruthlessly,  without 
ever  asking  what  is  to  go  up  in  the 
place  of  that  which  was  removed. 
They  are  engineers  of  annihilation 
merely. 

But  upon  the  other  sort  of  folk  there 
rests  a  blessing — those  who  constantly 
build,  in  faith  and  prayer,  and  fidelity 
to  a  trust. 

It  cannot  be  a  great  satisfaction  to 
come  upon  a  green  place,  ruin  it  and 
leave  a  waste  of  devastation.  It  can- 
not make  a  man  happy  to  rob  another 
of  a  good  name  which  it  took  a  long 
time  to  acquire.  But  it  must  be  a  real 
pleasure  to  feel  that  one  has  spent  a 
lifetime  pushing  what  deserves  to  be 
pushed — forwarding  a  man  or  a  move- 
ment that  has  the  right  to  win. 


A  spirited,  hammer-and-tongs  opening  of  one  of 
Henry  Watterson's  editorials  in  the  Louisville  Courier- 
Journal  illustrates  well  the  rabble-rousing  style  of  per- 
suasive writing: 


The  man  who  is  for  peace  at  any 
price — who  will  fight  on  no  provoca- 
tion— for  no  cause — is  apt  to  be  either 
what  men  call  "a.  poor  creature,"  or  an 
impostor  set  on  by  ulterior  considera- 
tions.    He  may  have  an  unworthy  mo- 

I20 


BUILDING  THE  EDITORIAL 

tive,  or  a  selfish  interest,  or  he  may  be 
a  victim  of  the  coward's  fear  of  battle, 
or  be  obsessed  by  the  doctrinaire's  the- 
ory of  universal  brotherhood.  But, 
craven  or  crank,  or  scheming  rogue,  he 
dishonors  the  noble  heritage  of  man- 
hood which,  being  comjnon  to  us  all, 
is  only  prized  and  extolled  in  conspic- 
uous cases  of  sacrifice,  or  prowess. 

Persuasion  towards  improving  moral  conditions  is 
naturally  based  on  an  introductory  statement  of  those 
conditions,  as  in  this  opening  of  an  editorial  from  the 
Kansas  City  Journal: 

AUTOMOBILES  AND  MORALITY 

Declaring  it  their  purpose  to  put  an 
end  to  the  intolerable  exhibitions  of 
immorality  on  the  part  of  automobile 
parties  that  nightly  scandalize  the  resi- 
dential' sections  of  this  city,  the  police 
authorities  have  made  this  a  special 
subject  of  orders  to  the  department. 
This  is  a  reasonably  prompt  and  ener- 
getic response  to  the  demands  of  those 
good  citizens  who  have  noted  the  in- 
crease of  this  form  of  trespass  and  who 
have  complained  of  conditions  that 
could  no  longer  be  condoned.  The  sur- 
prising fact  is  that  the  police  did  not 
long  ago  recognize  the  evil  and  take 
measures  to  stop  it.  This  summer  it 
has  been  far  worse  than  ever  before 
and  has  caused  at  least  one  murder  in 
Kansas  City's  most  exclusive  neighbor- 
hood. 

If  the  purpose  Is  entertainment,  the  only  suggestion 
that  can  safely  be  made  is  that  the  beginning  should 
be  such  as  to  establish  the  tone  of  the  whole  editorial. 
This  from  "Casual  Essays  of  the  Sun" : 

121 


THE  EDITORIAL 
HAIRPINS 

The  comprehensive  merits  of  the 
hairpin  are  known  to  all  observant  men. 
Its  special  value  in  surgery  is  asserted 
by  a  writer  in  American  Medicine.  It 
seems  that  a  surgeon  can  do  almost 
anything  with  a  hairpin.  *  *  * 

Dullards  will  tell  you  that  women 
aren't  so  inventive  as  men,  don't  take 
out  so  many  patents.  They  don't  have 
to.  With  the  hairpin  all  that  is  doable 
can  be  done.  With  the  hairpin  a  woman 
can  pick  a  lock,  pull  a  cork,  peel  an 
apple,  draw  out  a  nail,  beat  an  egg,  see 
if  a  joint  of  meat  is  done,  do  up  a 
baby,  sharpen  a  pencil,  dig  out  a  sliver, 
fasten  a  door,  hang  up  a  plate  or  a 
picture,  open  a  can,  take  up  a  carpet, 
repair  a  baby  carriage,  clean  a  lamp 
chimney,  put  up  a  curtain,  rake  a  grate 
fire,  cut  a  pie,  make  a  fork,  a  fishhook, 
an  awl,  a  gimlet,  or  a  chisel,  a  paper- 
cutter,  a  clothespin,  regulate  a  range, 
tinker  a  sewing  machine,  stop  a  leak 
in  the  roof,  turn  over  a  flapjack,  caulk 
a  hole  in  a  pair  of  trousers,  stir  bat- 
ter, whip  cream,  reduce  the  pressure  in 
the  gas  meter,  keep  bills  and  receipts 
on  file,  spread  butter,  cut  patterns, 
tighten  windows,  clean  a  watch,  untie 
a  knot,  varnish  floors,  do  practical 
plumbing,  reduce  the  asthma  of  tobacco 
pipes,  pry  shirt  studs  into  buttonholes 
too  small  for  them,  fix  a  horses's  har- 
ness, restore  damaged  mechanical  toys, 
wrestle  with  refractory  beer  stoppers, 
improvise  suspenders,  shovel  bonbons, 
inspect  gas  burners,  saw  cake,  jab 
tramps,  produce  artificial  buttons,  hooks 
and  eyes,  sew,  knit,  and  darn,  button 
gloves  and  shoes,  put  up  awnings,  doc- 
tor an  automobile.  In  short,  she  can 
do  what  she  wants  to;  she  needs  no 
other  instrument, 

122 


BUILDING  THE  EDITORIAL 
And  another  from  the  same  source: 

UNDER   THE   CIRCUMSTANCES 

Everybody  has  a  right  to  take  sugar 
in  his  coffee  or  not  to  take  it,  and  there 
is  nothing  to  prevent  any  person  from 
dishking  any  word  or  phrase  which  he 
chooses  to  dislike.  Still,  when  anybody 
takes  the  trouble  to  attack  a  respect- 
able, harmless,  and  well-intentioned 
phrase,  as  our  correspondent  does  in  the 
following  letter,  it  would  be  an  act  of 
courtesy  to  the  English  language  for 
him  to  disclose  his  motive  and  justifica- 
tion, if  any  he  has. 

There  are  almost  as  many  variations  of  this  prob- 
lem of  the  opening  as  there  are  editorials.  All  methods 
are  subject  to  exceptions.  The  typical  examples  given 
will  at  least  serve  to  demonstrate  that  the  form  of 
beginning  should  be  adopted  for  good  and  sufficient 
reasons — because  it  is  the  best  one,  not  the  first  one, 
that  comes  to  mind. 

The  Second  Strategic  Point. — Since,  in  the  case 
of  most  editorials,  as  of  most  sales  letters  and  advertise- 
ments, the  ending  is  next  in  importance,  if  not  equal 
in  importance,  to  the  beginning,  the  editor  makes  an 
early  selection  of  the  element  which  he  intends  to 
put  last.  The  oft-heard  statement  that  the  way  to  close 
an  editorial  is  just  to  stop  writing  is  one  of  the  pet 
fallacies  of  those  "natural  born  editors"  who  resent  the 
idea  that  editorial  writing  is  anything  but  unskilled 
labor. 

If  the  writer's  purpose  is  merely  to  give  information, 
the  problem  of  the  ending  presents  no  difficulty,  but 

123 


THE  EDITORIAL 

it  is  well  to  settle  it  before  beginning  to  write.  The 
pleasing  "twist"  at  the  close  of  an  informative  edi- 
torial about  golf,  in  the  New  York  Evening  Post,  was 
doubtless  in  the  writer's  mind  from  the  beginning: 


And  then  the  mere  fact  that  he  found 
an  unexpectedly  strong  and  cool  op- 
ponent where  he  was  looking  for  one 
easy  to  beat,  was  certain  to  strike  deep 
and  hard  into  his  golfer's  soul.  Hence 
the  golf  psychologists  will  have  no  dif- 
ficulty in  stating  the  exact  why  and 
wherefore  of  what  happened,  though 
they  would  have  been  as  ready  with  an 
explanation  if  the  reverse  had  occurred. 
But  what  more  can  you  ask  of  a  game 
than  that  it  should  be  one  good  to  play 
and  still  better  endlessly  to  discuss? 


If  his  task  is  one  of  interpretation,  the  close  of  the 
editorial  takes  care  of  itself  though  it  is  probable  that 
a  skillful  summing  up  of  the  whole  matter  in  one 
illuminating  sentence  will  be  called  for. 

Following  a  careful  exposition  of  conditions  in  "Our 
Headless  Aviation  Service,"  the  Philadelphia  Public 
Ledger  closes  with  this  summarization : 


What  is  wanted  is  a  national  depart- 
ment of  aviation,  under  skilled  direction 
and  capable  of  exercising  a  control  that 
would  safeguard  the  men  employed  in 
every  government  activity  involving 
aviation,  insure  the  encouragement  of 
invention  and  utilize  the  very  best  and 
latest  appliances  that  make  for  effi- 
ciency and  safety.  This  nation  cannot 
afford  to  slip  backward  in  this  most 
modern  of  arts,  and  above  all  things, 
it  cannot  afford  to  intrust  the  control  of 
aerial  activities  to  ignorant  bureaucrats. 

124 


BUILDING  THE  EDITORIAL 

In  similar  manner  is  this  from  the  New  Orleans 
Times-Picayune. 


Therefore  we  are  pleased  at  the  ac- 
tion of  the  American  stockholders  of  the 
big  shipping  corporation,  and  trust  the 
shadow  of  our  Mercantile  Marine,  far 
from  growing  smaller,  will  continue 
rapidly  to  expand  until  it  covers  the 
earth. 


Interpretation  of  character,  followed  by  application 
of  the  truth  developed,  is  illustrated  in  the  beginning 
and  ending  of  the  following  from  the  Minneapolis 
Journal. 

The  editorial  opens  thus: 


THE  OLD  BREED  STILL  ON 
EARTH 

Sergeant  York  of  Tennessee !  Pious, 
a  church  elder,  thinking  of  entering  the 
ministry,  doubtful  at  first  of  the  right- 
eousness of  fighting,  but  as  fighting  man 
making  the  record  of  the  whole  war, 
twenty  Germans  killed,  a  hundred  and 
thirty-two  captured,  and  thirty-six  ma- 
chine guns  put  out  of  action !  What 
does  he  say  in  New  York,  where  he  is 
dined,  made  much  of,  interviewed?  He 
says: 

"I  feel  a  heap  stronger  spiritually 
than  when  I  went  away.  No  man  could 
pass  through  what  I  have  without  feel- 
ing that  way." 


And  ends: 


No  militarism  can  make  such  soldiers. 
The  Prussian  system  will  discipline 
men    to    die    by    the    thousand,    but    no 

125 


THE  EDITORIAL 

Prussian  could  be  the  efficient  fighter 
that  nature  made  Sergeant  York.  He 
was  out,  not  to  die  himself,  but  to  kill 
as  many  Germans  as  possible  and  to 
dispatch  them  skillfully.  He  possessed 
the  initiative  of  the  free  American,  the 
resourcefulness  of  the  pioneer,  the 
deadly  accuracy  of  a  descendant  of  gen- 
erations of  squirrel  shooters,  deer  stalk- 
ers, coon  hunters,  Indian  fighters.  The 
old  breed  is  still  on  earth. 


Problem  Greater  for  Third  Type. — If,  however, 
the  object  is  to  carry  conviction  to  the  mind  of  the 
reader,  greater  difficuhies  enter — the  same  problems 
that  must  be  met  by  the  lawyer  planning  the  conclusion 
of  an  address  to  the  jury. 

It  is  safe  to  say  that  one  invariable  rule  is  to  select 
in  the  beginning,  and  reserve  for  use  at  the  end,  the 
strongest  argument  that  can  be  made ;  or  to  use  in  the 
conclusion  a  rapid  summary  of  all  the  principal  argu- 
ments placing  the  "chncher"  last.  It  is  not  practicable 
to  consider  here  the  principles  of  argumentation ;  but 
it  may  be  said  in  passing  that  a  study  of  logic  and 
argumentation,  for  which  limitless  facilities  are  avail- 
able, will  richly  repay  any  editor. 

A  forceful  conclusion  to  the  argument  is  attained  in 
this  editorial  from  the  Cincinnati  Enquirer: 


FROM  DOWN  ON  PHARISEE 
FARM 

One  of  the  darling  beliefs  of  the 
dweller  without  urban  limits  is  that  he 
is  better  than  the  dweller  within  them. 
Vice  and  misery  are  the  portions  of  the 
wicked  who  reside  in  these  wildernesses 

126 


BUILDING  THE  EDITORIAL 

of  brick  and  stone  and  virtue  and  joy 
those  of  the  rural  resident. 

Very  likely  the  Pharisee  who  gave 
selfish  thanks  on  the  porch  of  the  Tem- 
ple in  Jerusalem  had  just  come  in  from 
his  farm. 

:|c  3|c  3|c  ;fe  3|c 

It  is  his  notion  that  if  the  "loafers  in 
town  and  city"  could  be  made  to  pay 
$5  or  do  two  days  of  real  work  on  the 
roads  Ohio  would  soon  have  a  system 
as  good  as  that  in  France. 

The  fact  that  the  state  constitution 
forbids  this  form  of  taxes  apparently 
does  not  weigh  heavily  with  the  bu- 
colic statesman  in  embryo.  Nor  does 
the  additional  fact  that  the  cities  are 
now  furnishing  about  70  per  cent  of 
the  contributions  toward  building  and 
repairing  highways  seem  to  have  im- 
pressed him. 

***** 

The  action  of  the  General  Assembly 
will  tax  the  people  of  Ohio  more  than 
$50,000,000  for  road  building. 

The  bulk  of  it  will  be  paid  into  the 
treasury  by  the  "loafers"  in  the  towns 
and  cities,   too. 

And  this  final  paragraph  from  an  editorial  in  the 
Chicago  Tribune: 

American  citizens  in  Colombia  are  not 
to  be  protected  by  the  payment  of 
bribes.  If  human  rights  are  in  doubt 
in  Colombia  there  is  a  swift  and  just 
way  of  establishment.  We  suggest  that 
the  senate  bid  Colombia  beware  the 
sandbag  in  its  relations  with  this  coun- 
try. 

Where  Action  Is  the  Objective. — If  the  object  of 
the  editorial  is  to  appeal  to  the  emotions  and  thereby 
arouse  an  active  response,  the  editorial  will  close  with 

127 


THE  EDITORIAL 

the  feature  of  greatest  persuasiveness.  In  written 
forms  of  salesmanship,  this  most  persuasive  element 
has  commonly  been  regarded  as  the  sentence  of  sug- 
gestion or  direct  command.  As  to  the  influence  of 
skillful  suggestion  in  persuading  the  human  being — 
intellectual  or  crude — to  do  what  he  ought  to  do,  or  is 
asked  to  do,  there  can  be  no  controversy.  The  effective- 
ness of  the  direct  command,  however,  is  much  in 
doubt.  It  seems  to  have  been  used  so  much  that  it 
has  largely  lost  any  virtue  that  it  may  have  had  origi- 
nally. In  most  cases  it  seems  likely  to  antagonize  the 
reader.  A  bit  of  exhortation  if  it  is  not  "preachy," 
an  appeal  which  vividly  relates  the  desired  course  of 
action  with  those  "effective  concepts"  approved  by  the 
normal  reader — pity,  courageousness,  altruism,  self- 
interest,  fear,  emulation — is  almost  certain  to  promote 
the  end  sought. 

This  ending  of  an  editorial  in  the  Chicago  Tribune 
on  the  coal  situation  is  mild  and  yet  persuasive — more 
persuasive,  probably,  than  if  it  had  been  dictatorial. 
The  facts  themselves  do  the  persuading : 

In  the  meantime  we  would  suggest 
that  the  wise  householder  will  not  de- 
lay in  putting  in  his  winter's  supply  of 
coal.  The  fuel  administration  has  prac- 
tically relinquished  its  control  and  it 
does  not  seem  likely  that  the  benevo- 
lent system  of  distribution  which  pre- 
vailed last  winter  will  be  continued. 

The  following  example  of  an  editorial  ending  with 
suggestion  is  from  the  Wichita  Beacon: 

128 


BUILDING  THE  EDITORIAL 

GO  TO  COLLEGE 

Kansas  is  generally  prosperous  this 
year. 

There  was  never  a  better  time  for 
young  people  to  go  to  college. 

Kansas  has  many  excellent  educa- 
tional institutions.  They  offer  prac- 
tically any  of  thg  courses  that  may  be 
desired.  They  should  be  utilized  to 
their  full  capacity  this  year. 

A  college  education  is  the  greatest 
single  factor  in  the  practical  world  to 
give  people  what  is  usually  called  vi- 
sion. Vision  is  that  faculty  which  en- 
ables people  to  look  farther  than  the 
fleshly  material  wants  and  strive  for  the 
things  that  give  spiritual  and  mental 
satisfaction.  "Where  there  is  no  vision 
the  people  perish." 

Perhaps  the  greatest  single  function 
of  a  college  education  is  not  to  fill  up 
the  head  with  learning,  as  a  cistern  is 
filled  with  water,  but  to  create  a  de- 
sire for  more  learning  by  enlarging  the 
capacity.  The  average  person  who  goes 
to  college  finds  that  he  knows  very  lit- 
tle after  all,  and  comes  out  longing  for 
the  broadening  experiences  that  come 
from  "a  knowledge  of  the  world's  great 
achievements  in  art,  literature  and  sci- 
ence. It  gives  the  average  person  that 
worthy  discontent  which  animated  Co- 
lumbus, Galileo  and   Isaac  Newton. 

Go  to  college  this  fall. 

The  persuasion  in  this  closing  paragraph  from  an 
editorial  in  the  Kansas  City  Journal  is  in  its  humani- 
tarian appeal : 

A  dairyman  who  is  given  two  or  three 
weeks  to  clean  up  his  dairy  barns  is 
given  just  that  much  time  to  keep  on 
selling  filthy  milk  placed   on  the  mar- 

129 


THE  EDITORIAL 


ket  in  Kansas  City  as  pure  and  safe.  If 
a  single  baby  is  made  sick  or  is  caused 
to  die  because  of  this  form  of  ill-ad- 
vised leniency,  the  terrible  blame  must 
be  shared  by  those  in  authority.  The 
only  way  to  bring  respect  for,  and 
obedience  to  the  law  is  to  enforce  it 
without  hesitation  or  favor.  Leniency 
may  be  condoned  in  some  forms  of 
lawlessness,  but  not  when  human  lives 
are  endangered.  Sentimental  consider- 
ation for  ignorant,  incompetent  and  de- 
fiant dairymen  ought  not  weigh  for  a 
moment  against  the  life  of  an  innocent 
and  helpless  child. 


A  "spruce  up"  editorial  in  the  Kansas  City  Star 
employed  imagination  to  produce  this  pictorial  ending: 


Now  that  the  visitors  are  coming 
ought  not  Kansas  City  to  take  particu- 
lar pains  to  wash  its  face — getting  clear 
around  behind  the  ears — and  brush  its 
clothes,  and  polish  its  shoes  and  slick 
down  its  hair?  Wouldn't  that  be  good 
business  ? 


A  notable  example  of  impassioned  appeal  is  the 
close  of  the  editorial  for  which  Henry  Watterson  re- 
ceived the  Pulitzer  prize  of  $500  in  1917 : 


All  the  while  we  looked  on  with  either 
simpering  idiocy,  or  dazed  apathy. 
Servia?  It  was  no  aflfair  of  ours.  Bel- 
gium? Why  should  we  worry?  Food- 
stuffs soaring — war  stuffs  soaring — 
everybody  making  money — the  mer- 
cenary, the  poor  of  heart,  the  mean  of 
spirit,  the  bleak  and  barren  of  soul  could 
still  plead  the  Hypocrisy  of  Uplift  and 
chortle :  "I  did  not  raise  my  boy  to  be 
a  soldier."  Even  the  Lusitania  did  not 
awaken  us  to  a  sense  of  danger  and 

130 


BUILDING  THE  EDITORIAL 


arouse  us  from  the  stupefaction  of  ig- 
norant and   ignoble   self-complacency. 

First  of  all  on  bended  knee  we 
should  pray  God  to  forgive  tis.  Then 
erect  as  men,  Christian  men,  soldierly 
men,  to  the  flag  and  the  fray — wherever 
they  lead  us — over  the  ocean — through 
France  to  Flanders — across  the  Low 
Countries  to  Koln,  Bonn,  and  Koblenz 
— tumbling  the  fortress  of  Ehrenbreit- 
stein  into  the  Rhine  as  we  pass  and 
damming  the  mouth  of  the  Moselle  with 
the  debris  of  the  ruin  we  make  of  it — 
then  on,  on  to  Berlin,  the  Black  Horse 
Cavalry  sweeping  the  Wilhelmstrasse 
like  lava  down  the  mountain  side,  the 
Junker  and  the  saber  rattler  flying  be- 
fore us,  the  tunes  being  "Dixie"  and 
"Yankee  Doodle."  the  cry  being,  "Hail 
the  French  Republic — Hail  the  Repub- 
lic of  Russia — welcome  the  Common- 
wealth of  the  Vaterland — no  peace  with 
the  Kaiser — no  parley  with  Autocracy, 
Absolutism,  and  the  .  divine  right  of 
Kings — to  Hell  with  the  Hapsburg  and 
the  Hohenzollern !" 

If  the  purpose  of  the  editorial  is  primarily  to  en- 
tertain, the  ending  calls  for  no  special  attention  be- 
yond the  obvious  desirability  of  reserving  for  the  last» 
one  of  the  most  humorous,  whimsical,  witty,  or  in- 
congruous ideas.  A  delightful  type  of  ending  is  that 
which  contains  a  surprise,  or  an  unexpected  twist. 

An  editorial  writer  in  the  Christian  Science  Monitor, 
after  a  column  of  whimsical  comment  on  "Bird  Ponds"^ 
and  the  etiquette  observed  by  the  feathered  bathers, 
closes  thus: 


On  one  occasion  only  is  a  bird  pond, 
otherwise,  at  all  times,  a  source  of  much 
satisfaction,    an    occasion    for   humilia- 


THE  EDITORIAL 

• 

tion.  It  is  after  a  heavy  shower  of  rain, 
when  the  garden  paths  or  dips  in  the 
lawn  show  lambent  pools  here  and 
there  which  were  not  there  a  few  hours 
before.  Then  are  the  birds  inclined  to 
desert  the  pond  specially  provided  for 
them,  and  make  use  of  the  new  gifts 
that  have  come  their  way.  The  sense 
of  humiliation,  however,  is  only  momen- 
tary. A  fellow  feeling  sweeps  it  away, 
in  a  moment.  For  even  to  humans,  is 
there  not  something  extraordinarily  at- 
tractive about  puddles? 

Frequently  the  editorial  itself  is  little  more  than  an 
elaborate  preparation  for  a  quite  unexpected  conclu- 
sion. This  device,  which  O.  Henry  employed  so  de- 
lightfully in  his  short  stories,  is  equally  useful  to  the 
writer  of  that  type  of  light  essay  appearing  in  the 
newspaper  as  the  editorial  of  entertainment. 

Conventional  Rules  Apply. — As  to  the  body  of 
the  editorial,  the  rules  of  successful  organization  are 
the  conventional  rules  of  rhetoric  and  the  proper  han- 
dling of  exposition,  argument,  persuasion,  narration, 
and  description,  such  as  are  found,  for  example,  in 
Cairn's  "Forms  of  Discourse."  These  are  not  subjects 
for  discussion  here.  All  that  need  be  said  is  that  every 
element  in  the  structure  must  meet  the  requirement 
that  it  contribute  to  the  realization  of  the  writer's 
ultimate  aims.  At  this  point,  if  not  before,  the  question 
arises  as  to  the  length  to  which  the  editorial  may  be 
judiciously  allowed  to  run.  It  is  an  excellent  plan  to 
read  through  the  completed  editorial  with  the  single 
question  in  mind :  "If  a  hundred  readers  begin  this  edi- 
torial, when  will  the  first  one  quit?    Where  are  the 

132 


BUILDING  THE  EDITORIAL 

other  danger  points  of  sagging  interest?  How  many 
readers  will  stay  to  the  end?  What  can  be  done  to 
stop  the  leaks?" 

A  Clinic  in  Organization. — To  illustrate  briefly 
the  theories  of  organization  just  discussed,  let  us  as- 
sume that  the  state  board  of  health  has  announced  that 
a  recurrence  of  an  influenza  epidemic  may  be  expected 
within  a  few  months,  and  that  suitable  measures  are 
being  taken  to  meet  it. 

When  the  reporter  has  written  a  story,  and  perhaps 
interviewed  local  authorities  to  get  the  "home  end" 
of  the  story,  it  passes  out  of  his  realm,  unless  new 
developments  supply  materials  for  follow-up  stories. 

A  day  or  two  after  its  publication  as  news,  the  sub- 
ject of  a  threatened  influenza  epidemic  appears  in  the 
field  of  the  editorial  writer.  If  he  conceives  that  the 
first  and  paramount  need  of  the  public  is  for  informa- 
tion, he  may  find  that  he  is  confronted  by  considerable 
difficulty  in  collecting  the  material  from  which  to  build 
an  editorial.  Among  the  phases  of  the  subject  which 
he  may  wish  to  investigate  are :  the  origin  and  history 
of  influenza  epidemics ;  reasons  to  expect  a  recurrence 
after  the  first  year;  causes  ascribed  for  the  epidemic 
just  passed ;  fatalities  from  it ;  methods  of  treatment 
employed ;  improvements  in  treatment  developed ;  what 
can  be  done  by  public  health  agencies?  What  can 
be  done  by  individuals? 

The  task  of  organizing  this  editorial  of  information 
is  comparatively  simple  because  in  such  a  subject  in- 
terest is  easily  maintained. 

It  may  be  imagined,  however,  that  the  editor  may 
133 


THE  EDITORIAL 

•decide  that  bad  conditions  of  health  administration  in 
his  town  call  for  an  editorial  of  an  interpretative  type. 
The  casual  reader  of  the  news  item  will  not  see  the 
local  significance  of  the  announcement  by  the  board 
of  health  unless  the  editor  points  it  out.  This  form 
of  editorial  will  require  less  research — less  extended 
reference  to  the  "influenza"  envelop  of  clippings  and 
the  encyclopedia.  It  will  require,  perhaps,  fewer  in- 
terviews with  physicians  and  others  having  expert 
Icnowledge ;  but  it  will  call  for  reflection  and  what  pro- 
;gressives  of  various  kinds  are  wont  to  call  "vision," 

Or,  under  different  conditions,  the  editorial  writer 
may  choose  as  his  "slant"  on  the  subject  an  out  and 
out  argument  in  favor  of,  say^  sending  a  local  bacteri- 
ologist to  some  well-known  medical  center  to  study  ap- 
proved methods  of  innoculation.  For  this  purpose  he 
"will  need  a  considerable  portion  of  the  same  informa- 
tion necessary  for  use  in  the  editorial  of  the  first  type; 
but  instead  of  presenting  it  merely  as  information,  he 
organizes  it  into  supporting  arguments  for  his  thesis- 
Very  likely  he  will  need  to  use  considerable  care  in  the 
beginning  not  to  antagonize  that  element  in  every  com- 
munity which  opposes  any  unusual  public  expenditure. 
Or  to  put  it  differently,  he  will  be  sure  that  he  has 
■"sold  them  on  a  proposition"  before  he  gives  them  a 
■chance  to  think  what  it  will  cost. 

It  is  easy  to  imagine,  however,  that  an  editorial  of 
the  directly  persuasive  type,  calculated  to  induce  peo- 
ple to  seek  inoculation  at  once,  may  seem  to  be  called 
for.  In  such  a  case,  the  editor's  hardest  task  is  to 
overcome  that  human  inertia  which  keeps  people  from 

134 


IN  WRITING  AN  EDITORIAL 

The  Editor  Gets  Ideas  from 
Obsen'ation       Reflection  Reading     Conversation        Experience? 


Subject 


He  Considers  the,  Requirements  of 

Public  Paper's  Policies 


He  Decides  What  is  the  Predominant  Purpose  to  be  Accomplished 
To  Inform  Interpret         Convince  Persuade  Enterl^a- 

He  Organizes  the  Editorial  with  Great  Care  as  to 
Beginning         Ending       Body  Logic  Appeal  Climax. 

Mindful  of  his  Purpose  he  Writes  in  a  Style  Having 
Force         Clearness         Vividness         Richness  Humor         Zest 


He  Meets,  to  the  Best  of  hisAbility,  his  Responsibilities  to 
The  Paper    Readers   Community         Journalism     Society      Himself 


THE  EDITORIAL 

acting,  even  though  they  are  convinced.  Guided  by  his 
knowledge  of  people,  which  experience  with  human 
nature  and  conversation  with  individuals  on  the  sub- 
ject of  innoculation  have  given  him,  he  will  use  from 
his  accumulation  of  information  such  facts  as  will 
stir  the  emotion  of  fear  and  the  instincts  of  self-pres- 
ervation, parental  care,  emulation.  He  will  emphasize 
the  ease  with  which  comparative  safety  may  be  at- 
tained, and  will  close  his  article  with  such  directly 
persuasive  remarks  as  he  thinks  likely  to  be  effective. 

The  fifth  or  entertainment  type  may  seem  hardly  in 
place  in  connection  with  so  serious  a  subject.  For  the 
sake  of  illustration,  however,  we  may  assume  that  the 
editor  is  optimistic  about  the  situation ;  that  the  pre- 
cautions taken  seem  adequate  and  the  cooperation  of 
the  public  assured.  In  such  case  he  might  decide  to 
write  merely  light  comment  on  the  reception  in  store 
for  the  unsuspecting  influenza  microbe  upon  its  arrival 
in  town  on  the  early  fall  breezes. 

It  is  not  usual,  however,  nor  is  it  desirable,  for  the 
editor  to  write,  or  attempt  to  write,  any  one  particular 
type  of  editorial  as  illustrated  above.  He  will  have  a 
clearly  conceived  purpose  and  he  will  organize  his 
editorial  solely  in  the  interests  of  that  purpose;  but 
he  may  easily  find  it  necessary  to  mingle  information 
and  interpretation,  argument  and  persuasion,  and  even 
entertainment,  for  the  success  of  his  literary  venture. 

An  important  mechanical  detail  is  paragraphing  for 
clearness  and  for  force.  The  only  thing  that  should 
be  said  to  supplement  what  may  be  found  in  any  rhet- 
oric is  that  the  effect  of  paragraphing  in  attracting  and 

136 


BUILDING  THE  EDITORIAL 

sustaining  reader  interest  is  a  matter  of  legitimate  con- 
cern. Short  paragraphs  in  greater  number  than  is 
absolutely  required  by  the  thought,  are  to  be  com- 
mended if, there  is  a  chance  that  they  will  increase 
the  number  of  readers.  As  one  writer  puts  it,  "When 
in  doubt,  make  a  paragraph."  While  few  writers  go 
to  the  extreme  of  using  a  preponderance  of  one-sent- 
ence paragraphs,  yet  the  easy-to-read  appearance  of 
such  matter  is  an  advantage. 

This  exaggerated  use  of  paragraphing  was  found 
in  the  Cleveland  Press: 


APPLES 

The  way  for  us  to  keep  boys  on  the 
farm  is  to  show  them  the  profit  pos'- 
sibilities  of  the  farm  during  school 
years. 

Apples  are  the  finest  fruit  in  the 
world. 

This  is  proven  by  the  fact  that  there 
is  a  world-wide   demand   for  them. 

Ohio  is  the  finest  apple  soil  in  the 
world. 

This  is  also  true  of  certain  parts  of 
most  adjoining  states. 

Yet  all  the  eastern  centers  of  popu- 
lation import  apples  from  Oregon  and 
pay  10  and  15  cents  apiece  for  them. 

All  that  this  means  is  that  somebody 
who  knew  how  to  spray  and  graft  trees 
lived  in  Oregon  and  started  to  produc- 
ing apples  there ;  others  saw  the  profit 
possibilities  by  example  and  did  like- 
wise until  a  great  horticultural  indus- 
try was  built  up. 

This  shows  what  knowledge  and  will 
can  do  in  the  face  of  natural  disadvan- 
tages and  remoteness. 

***** 


THE  EDITORIAL 

The  fundamental  production  of 
wealth  in  this  country  is  agriculture — 
always  has  been  and  always  will  be. 

The  great  agricultural  future  for  the 
eastern  and  central  west  states  is  in 
the  garden  and  orchard,  in  order  to  feed 
the  cities. 

The  grain  crops  will  be  more  and 
more  left  to  the  far  west  where  the 
acreage  is  greater  and  cheaper. 

Considering  the  importance  of  agri- 
culture in  fundamental  wealth  produc- 
tion, should  we  not  take  it  into  greater 
consideration  in  our  public  school 
courses — not  only  in  the  country  but  in 
the  cities? 

The  force  of  the  one-sentence  or  one-word  para- 
graph, in  the  midst  of  longer  ones,  is  very  great. 

The  last  question  of  organization  to  be  settled  is  the 
choice  of  an  idea  to  go  into  the  heading.  In  this  the 
editor  will  be  guided  by  the  same  practical  considera- 
tions that  guide  him  in  the  choice  of  an  opening — with 
the  added  requirement  that  the  heading  must  be  writ- 
ten with  reference  to  the  opening.  The  idea  that  edi- 
torial heads  should  be  as  dull  as  possible  is  giving  way 
to  that  of  applying  to  them  the  same  rules  of  interest, 
action,  vividness,  that  govern  news  headings.  In  the 
"words  of  Arthur  Brisbane : 

The  same  thing  can  be  done  in  two  ways.  If  you  do 
it  one  way,  you  are  only  one  of  a  thousand  others ;  if  you 
do  it  the  other  way  you  are  the  one  man,  or  the  one  of  a 
few  men,  who  will  attract  attention.  A  few  days  ago  there 
was  in  the  papers  an  attack  by  Rabbi  Hirsch  on  Moses 
and  the  dietary  laws  of  the  Jews.  An  editorial  based  on 
this   attack  might  be   headed   "Analysis   of   the   Dietetic 

138 


BUILDING  THE  EDITORIAL 

Teachings  of  the  Ancients,"  and  nobody  would  read  it. 
Another  heading  would  be,  "Be  Kind  to  Poor  Old  Moses; 
He  Had  no  Icebox." 

A  leading  American  editor  declares  that  he  often  re- 
writes an  editorial  four  times.  His  conscientiousness 
and  his  industry  are  certainly  commendable.  His  edi- 
torials bring  results.  But  the  chances  are  that  he  is 
using  an  expensive  substitute  for  careful  planning  and 
organization  in  advance.  If  an  editorial  is  thought  out 
and  outlined  on  paper  before  it  is  written,  one  revision 
for  the  purpose  of  eliminating  unessential  ideas  and^ 
words  and  improving  diction  should  be  sufficient^:^^ 


CHAPTER  VII 
THE  MANNER  OF  SAYING  IT 

Chapters  and  even  whole  books  on  style  are  common 
enough  to  meet  every  need  of  the  editorial  writer  seek- 
ing to  cultivate  his  powers  of  expression,  or  of  the 
student  endeavoring  to  acquire  ease  and  effectiveness 
in  putting  his  thoughts  on  paper. 

All  that  need  be  attempted  here  is  to  place  emphasis 
on  a  few  matters  that  the  writer  of  editorials  must 
especially  consider  and  put  into  practice — matters  of 
which  editorial  writers  of  the  more  discerning  and 
more  vigorous  type  have  always  taken  account.  It  was 
no  less  a  master  of  style  than  Newman  who  declared 
that  much  newspaper  writing  suffers  not  at  all  by  com- 
parison with  the  work  of  the  greatest  stylists  in  Eng- 
lish literature. 

Writing  in  the  Atlantic  Monthly  for  November, 
19 1 9,  Charles  H.  Grasty,  publisher  of  the  Baltimore 
Sun,  comparing  British  and  American  newspapers,  de- 
clares that  the  London  papers  are  on  the  average  bet- 
ter written  than  ours.  "Especially  is  this  true  of  edi- 
torials, or  leaders,  as  they  are  called  over  there."  He 
offers  the  explanation  that  "in  an  old  country  like 
England,  writing  is  more  of  a  profession  than  in 
America.    Writers  are  bred  from  generation  to  gen- 

140 


THE  MANNER  OF  SAYING  IT 

eration.  In  conceding  superiority  on  the  average,  I 
except  the  editorial  writing  that  one  may  find  in  a  few 
of  our  American  papers,  which  is  of  a  high  literary 
quality  and  perhaps  excels  in  force.  I  am  not  sure 
that,  taking  the  country  as  a  whole,  our  journalism 
has  sought  to  develop  editorial  writing  in  the  English 
sense." 

Interest  Value  of  Style. — While  not  meant  as  a 
definition,  the  following  by  E.  S.  Martin,  editor  of 
Life,  points  out  important  essentials  of  a  satisfactory 
style : 

The  one  essential  of  good  writing  is  that  it  shall  be 
interesting.  And  what  makes  this  quality?  It  is  a  kind 
of  personal  charm,  which  enables  the  writer  to  turn  or 
twist  his  words  in  such  a  way  as  to  bring  up  a  succession 
of  pleasing  sensations  in  the  mind.  The  element  of  sur- 
prise is  united  with  a  sense  of  truth.  * 

A  good  writer  must  have  thought  out  his  theme  so 
completely,  that,  sure  of  himself,  he  always  knows  as  he 
goes  along  what  to  omit. 

An  example  of  Mr.  Martin's  style — pictorial,  whim- 
sical, smooth,  homespun — follows: 

For  two  days  the  sufferings  of  New 
York  from  an  acute  case  of  impeded 
arteries  took  precedence  of  other  pains. 
Circulation  stopped  completely  in  the 
Subway  and  on  the  Elevated,  to  the 
violent  inconvenience  of  people  who 
wanted  to  get  to  their  work  and  of  peo- 
ple who  needed  their  services.  *  *  * 

On  the  present  basis  of  costs  most 
people  need  more-  money,  and  ought  to 

141 


THE  EDITORIAL 


have  it  if  there  are  available  funds. 
The  purchasing  power  of  money  is  rap- 
idly evaporating.  Some  experts,  like 
Professor  Fisher  of  Yale,  say  it  is  be- 
cause there  is  too  much  gold  in  the 
country.  Too  much  gold  it  seems  may 
be  as  bad  a  pest  as  rats  were  in  the  war 
trenches.  *  *  * 

The  Subway  and  Elevated  manage- 
ment did  not  want  to  raise  pay  enough 
to  suit  the  strikers  because  they  said 
they  had  not,  and  could  not  earn,  the 
funds  to  do  it.  The  disease  that  has 
attacked  the  dollar  and  impaired  its 
purchasing  power  has  also  affected  the 
nickel.  Nickels  cannot  do  what  they 
did  six  years  ago. 

Strikes  in  public  utilities  are  just  a 
milder  form  of  war,  and  if  a  League  of 
Nations  is  a  likely  cure  for  war,  a 
league  of  every  one  affected  by  such 
strikes  ought  to  be  a  likely  cure  for  the 
strikes.  The  trick  is  always  to  bring 
the  matters  in  dispute  to  some  kind  of 
a  court,  and  the  pinch  is  always  to  get 
the  striking  organization  and  the  own- 
ing and  operating  organization  to  agree 
on  some  one  whose  judgment  they  will 
accept. 

The  wages  question  is  quite  awful. 
Some  people  begin  to  say  that  we  will 
have  to  split  up  into  smaller  groups 
for  purposes  of  social  life  and  indus- 
try, and  set  up  imaginary  walled  towns 
in  which  the  relations  of  the  inhabi- 
tants and  their  work  and  their  wages 
can  be  handled  on  a  basis  of  mutual  re- 
sponsibility and  community  welfare. 
People  want  to  know  how  pride  in 
work  and  joy  in  work  are  to  be  restored 
to  a  world  out  of  which  the  factory 
system  and  quantity  production  have 
driven  them.  In  the  course  of  another 
twenty-five  years  their  inquiries  may  be 
answered  by  practical  demonstration, 
but  the  answer  is  not  likely  to  be  walled 

142 


THE  MANNER  OF  SAYING  IT 


towns,  nor  yet  enormous,  country-wide 
organizations  of  workmen  banded  to- 
gether to  extort  advantages  for  them- 
selves out  of  the  still  larger  public. 
Somehow  quantity  production  and  art 
must  lie  down  together,  and  joy  must 
lead  them. 


Minimum  Requirements. — That  an  editorial  style 
should  be  simple,  forceful,  sparkling,  clear,  or,  as  occa- 
sion requires,  trenchant,  incisive,  audacious,  smooth, 
and  have  the  commonplace  rhetorical  virtues,  goes 
without  saying.  These  are  the  minimum  requirements. 
Their  employment  changes  as  the  form  of  discourse- 
narration,  description,  exposition,  argument,  persua- 
sion— changes,  and  as  the  subject  changes.  Without 
possession  of  these  elementary  qualities,  writing  is 
almost  certain  to  be  futile. 

In  the  matter  of  diction,  the  editor  is  not  a  purist. 
He  never  uses  words  for  words'  sake.  They  are  mere- 
ly his  tools,  his  means  to  an  end.  The  opening  of  an 
editorial  from  the  New  York  Sun  aptly  and  cleverly 
states  the  case: 

BUT 


The  Mad  Mullah  and  Hell-Roaring 
Bill  and  all  the  other  halcyon  and  vo- 
ciferous supernumeraries  march  across 
the  stage  in  vain.  They  cannot  distract 
the  mind  of  the  friend  and  preserver 
of  the  English  language  from  his  sa- 
cred duty  and  pleasure.  As  little  wan- 
ton boys  are  sometimes  set  to  ring  a 
bell  to  keep  the  birds  from  the  cherry 
tree,  so  these  august  janitors  of  the 
tongue  that  Shakespeare  spoke  dis- 
charge their  culverins  and  basilisks  at 
any  wretched,   rash,   intruding   fool   of 

143 


THE  EDITORIAL 

a  word  or  construction  that  likes  them 
not.  What  good  man  does  not  vener- 
ate their  industry  and  their  zeal? 
Knowing  that  they  are  watching  on  the 
tower,  the  rest  of  us  can  pull  our  red- 
cotton  night  caps  over  our  noddles  and 
lie  down  to  pleasant  dreams.  We  are 
no  heroic  language  savers,  no  indom- 
itable Puritans  of  the  parts  of  speech. 
Let  us  be  glad  that  there  are  sterner 
and  more  self-sacrificing  spirits. 

Imagination  Plays  Useful  Part. — An  important 
quality  of  editorial  style  is  concreteness.  This  intro- 
duces the  pictorial  element.  "It  was  a  fine  and  deep 
saying  of  Aristotle  that  the  greatest  thing  by  far  is 
to  be  master  of  metaphor.  This  is  the  mark  of  genius, 
for,  said  he,  it  implies  an  intuitive  perception  of  simi- 
larity in  dissimilars.  All  the  great  thinkers  have  been 
masters  of  metaphor  because  all  vivid  thinking  must 
be  in  images  and  the  philosopher  whose  metaphors 
are  blurred  and  diluted  is  one  whose  thinking  is  blurred 
and  diluted." 

To  some  writers,  setting  forth  thoughts  in  picture 
or  metaphor  is  an  accomplishment  requiring  no  effort. 
Others  are  able  to  do  it  only  by  painstaking  search 
for  suitable  figures.  The  pictorial  quality  lends  vivid- 
ness to  the  editorial  and,  though  an  apt  metaphor  may 
be  as  hard  to  find  as  a  difficult  rime,  it  is  worth  all 
the  effort  it  costs.  "Often  there  is  a  pictorial  quality 
in  the  English  leader,"  says  Charles  H.  Grasty,  "that 
makes  the  points  more  easily  understood.  I  recall  a 
single  sentence  in  the  Morning  Post's  editorial  on  the 
Asquith  Cabinet  just  before  it  came  to  grief :    'Asquith 

144 


THE  MANNER  OF  SAYING  IT 

folds  his  hands ;  Sir  Edward  Grey  wrings  his  hands ; 
and  all  the  rest  rub  their  hands/  A  column  of  fine 
writing  would  not  have  driven  the  point  home  so  well 
at  that  particular  moment." 

An  interesting  illustration  of  the  advantages  in 
visual  thinking  is  afforded  by  the  extensive  use  made 
of  visualization  in  the  most  successful  methods  of  im- 
proving the  memory. 

The  fact  that  the  faculty  of  concreteness  in  express- 
ing ideas  appears  as  a  natural  endowment  in  the  case, 
for  example,  of  a  wonderful  user  of  pictures  like 
Lincoln,  does  not  justify  any  writer  in  assuming  that, 
since  this  manner  of  expression  has  not  been  thrust 
upon  him,  it  cannot  be  cultivated.  In  almost  every 
case,  special  excellencies  of  style  have  been  acquired 
by  conscious  effort.  For  example,  one  of  the  most 
brilliant  of  American  writers,  as  well  as  orators,  John 
J.  Ingalls,  acquired  his  mastery  over  words  partly  by 
the  habit  of  devoting  leisure  moments  on  the  train  or 
elsewhere  to  the  "game,"  as  he  called  it,  of  reading 
a  sentence  from  some  book  or  magazine  and  then  en- 
deavoring to  improve  it  by  changing  its  structure  and 
substituting  strong  and  vivid  words  for  weak  and 
colorless  ones. 

What  could  be  more  picturesque  than  the  exagger- 
ated use  of  metaphor  in  the  following  from  the  Em- 
poria (Kansas)  Gazette: 

JONAHS 

The  Democratic  party  is  four  miles 
from  home  with  its  pants  on  a  clothes 
line.     It  has  neither  leaders  nor  princi- 


THE  EDITORIAL 

pies,  it  is  without  pride  in  its  past,  and 
has  no  hope  of  immortality.  Take  Wil- 
son from  it  and  it  is  a  liability.  Load 
Wilson  on  to  it  and  it  is  a  wreck. 

The  Republican  party  sometimes  looks 
like  chaos  agitated  with  an  egg  beater; 
but  the  Democratic  party  looks  like  the 
hole  in  the  little  end  of  nothing  bub- 
bling into  a  nightmare! 

So  that's  why  we  are  lining  up  with 
the  Republican  party.  And  also  it's  in 
a  condition  where  one  Jonah  more  or 
less  won't  hurt  it. 

Or  this  from  the  same  paper: 


ADVICE  TO   GINGER   JAG 

He  was  a  gangling,  loose-boned, 
limber-jawed  youth  who  looked  as 
though  he  had  been  sent  for  and  could 
not  get  away.  He  blew  into  the  Ga- 
zette office  to-day  to  have  his  name 
kept  out  of  the  paper  for  being  on  a 
jag.  He  expected  to  get  a  job  on  the 
Santa  Fe,  and  would  not  be  employed 
if  his  name  appeared  in  the  Gazette, 
and  as  this  was  his  first  offense  we  kept 
his  name  out.  But  by  way  of  diver- 
sion we  hereby  hand  him  the  follow- 
ing hard-boiled  language : 

"You  are  a  damned  fool,  Mr.  Ginger 
Jag,  And  we  use  the  words  damned 
and  fool  advisedly.  Any  man  who 
hasn't  enough  sense  to  keep  Jamaica 
ginger  out  of  his  stomach  as  a  bever- 
age, won't  have  sense  enough  to  func- 
tion in  this  world ;  he  is  damned  from 
here  to  eternity.  And  any  man  who 
deliberately  sets  out  to  get  drunk  when 
there  is  nothing  but  Jamaica  ginger 
and  lemon  extract  to  cheer  him,  is  a 
fool.  There  might  have  been  some 
sense  in  the  head  of  the  man  who,  un- 
der the   stimulus   of   social   encourage- 

146 


THE  MANNEk  of  saying  IT 


ment,  a  gang  of-  other  cheerful  idiots, 
and  a  larruping  good  brand  of  booze,  in 
a  gay  and  festive  livery  stable  or  other 
bacchanalian  retreat  filled  his  system 
full  of  assault,  arson,  larceny,  and  man- 
slaughter microbes,  which  would  steal 
upon  him  unaware.  But  for  a  man  to 
go  out  with  malice  prepense  and  stoke 
up  on  a  lot  of  lemon  extract  or  Ja- 
maica ginger,  which  in  itself  is  a  poi- 
son, and  then  go  and  steal  a  motor  car 
and  ride  off  and  try  to  climb  a  tree 
with  it — that  man  is  a  fool ;  a  damned 
fool,  and  what's  more,  unless  some 
woman  or  God  Almighty  periorms  a 
miracle  on  him,  he  will  be  at  it  again. 
The  next  time  we  propose  to  print  his 
name  and  mail  a  marked  copy  to  the 
superintendent  of  the  Santa  Fe.  The 
sooner  he  is  fired,  the  safer  traveling 
on  the  system  will  be,  and  we  have  no 
desire  to  shield  a  man  in  a  job  who 
is  such  a  calf-bound  chump  that  he  gets 
drunk  on  groceries  and  hardware  in- 
stead of  regulation  drugs.  So,  Mr. 
Ginger  Jag,  go  to  it  while  you're  young, 
for  you  haven't  got  enough  in  your 
bean  to  last  another  year.  And  when 
you  fail,  blame  yourself.  The  city  of 
Emporia  has  protected  you  by  city  ordi- 
nance ;  the  State  of  Kansas  has  shielded 
you  from  temptation  by  state  law ;  and 
the  constitution  of  the  United  States 
hcis  been  amended  at  a  great  expense 
for  just  such  suckers  as  you,  and  if 
after  all  that  pains  to  make  a  man  of 
you,  you  haven't  got  anything  in  your 
head  but  sweetbreads,  you  are  not  worth 
saving.  So  keep  your  eye  on  the  junk- 
pile,  and  pick  out  your  landing.  For 
you're  due  there  in  about  six  months. 


Where  Memory  Counts. — Another  feature  of  style- 
which  does  not  come  of  its  own  accord,  is  the  em- 

147 


THE  EDITORIAL 

ployment  of  literary  and  historical  allusions.  They 
enrich  and  adorn  an  editorial.  To  be  sure,  their  effect 
is  decidedly  bad  if  it  appears  that  they  are  not  used 
to  help  the  thought,  but  are  merely  lugged  in  to  dis- 
play the  writer's  attainments. 

Extract  the  allusions  from  the  following  editorial 
in  the  New  York  Evening  Post  and  there  is  very  little 
left — except  the  pleasing  "twist"  at  the  close: 


It  is  time  that  some  one  compiled  a 
"Who's  Who  in  Fowls."  The  swan 
that  accompanied  Leda  has  been  made 
forever  famous.  The  one  that  fur- 
nished transportation  to  Wagner's 
Lohengrin  has  likewise  achieved  im- 
mortality. The  black  swan  on  the 
Rousseau  Island  at  Geneva  attracted 
thousands  of  visitors  long  before  the 
League  of  Nations  ever  thought  of  es- 
tablishing its  headquarters  at  that  city. 
Ducks  have  made  Long  Island  famous. 
In  her  "The  Lover"  Lady  Montagu 
says :  "And  we  meet  with  champagne 
and  a  chicken  at  last."  Whereupon 
Lord  Byron  exclaimed  to  Bowles : 
"What  say  you  to  such  a  supper  with 
such  a  woman?"  The  rooster  is  the 
emblem  of  a  political  party.  And  now 
comes  the  President  presenting  no  fewer 
than  four  roosters  to  a  delegation  of 
serious-minded  gentlemen  from  the 
South.  They  (the  roosters)  are  to  be 
auctioned  off  at  the  classic  town  of 
Demopolis,  Ala.,  and  the  funds  are  to 
go  for  the  building  of  a  bridge  across 
the  Tombigbee.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that 
the  $200,000  to  be  raised  on  this  oc- 
casion has  no  connection  with  the 
President's  admirable  idea  that  the  price 
of   food  must  come  down 

148 


THE  MANNER  OF  SAYING  IT 

This  is  from  the  Christian  Science  Monitor. '  There 
is  noteworthy  vividness  in  the  allusion,  "with  the  scorp- 
ions of  Rehoboam" : 

THE  HUMANITIES 

The  great  barrier  to  human  progress 
is  obviously  ignorance.  That  is  why 
Diogenes  insisted,  centuries  ago,  that 
education  was  the  very  foundation  of 
the  Greek  State.  Any  thinking  person 
can  see  that  this  must  be  the  case.  Ig- 
norance breeds  superstition,  and  super- 
stition rules  men  with  the  scorpions  of 
Rehoboam.  In  the  dawn  of  history, 
men  divided  their  worship  between  the 
good  deities  and  the  bad.  Rapidly  it 
became  obvious  to  them  that  the  propi- 
tiation of  the  malicious  deity,  intent 
upon  hurting  them,  was  more  to  be 
sought  than  the  favor  of  the  kindly 
deity,  amiable  in  his  well-meaning. 
That  was  the  fruit  of  the  tree  of  knowl- 
edge of  good  and  evil.  What  the 
monotheism  of  Israel,  in  its  earlier 
stages,  did  for  mankind  was  to  destroy 
the  ignorant  belief  in  Baal  and  Dagon, 
and  in  Leviathan  and  Behemoth,  by 
teaching  it  that  one  God  meant  the  ac- 
knowledgment   of    Principle. 

How  difficult  it  would  be  to  handle  the  subject  of 
the  following  from  the  Philadelphia  Public  Ledger 
without  putting  it  into  the  literary  atmosphere  by  skill- 
ful allusions: 

BERRIES  IN   THEIR  GLORY 

The  most  famous  saying  about  a 
berry  is  undoubtedly  that  which  appears 
in  Walton's  "Angler"  in  this  form : 
"We   may    say    of    angling   as    Doctor 

149 


THE  EDITORIAL 

Boteler  said  of  strawberries:  'Doubt- 
less God  might  have  made  a  better 
berry,  but  doubtless  God  never  did.' " 
Roger  Williams  in  his  "Key  Into  the 
Language  of  America"  says :  "One  of 
the  chiefest  doctors  of  England  was 
wont  to  say  that  God  could  have  made, 
but  God  never  did  make,  a  better 
berry."  The  doctor  quoted  is  William 
Butler,  who  figures  in  Fuller's  "Worth- 
ies" as  the  "^sculapius  of  our  age." 

Many  are  enamored  of  the  strawberry 
who  find  unhappily  that  "the  glory  of 
the  garden"  does  not  agree  with  them. 
This  perennial  herb  of  the  family  of 
the  Rosaceae  is  an  ail-American  plant, 
for  it  will  grow  almost  anywhere  be- 
tween Florida  and  Alaska.  The  "old 
homestead"  of  the  plant  was  in  Massa- 
chusetts, where  in  1834  the  Hovey 
strawberry  flourished. 

The  idea  in  the  following  editorial  from  the  Chicago 
Tribune  can  be  fully  expressed  in  three  lines,  but  by 
means  of  imaginative  handling  its  effectiveness  is  in- 
creased tenfold: 


WE  VIEW  WITH   PRIDE 

Are  we  entering  our  Augustan  pe- 
riod? The  Tribune  does  not  say  we 
are.  It  merely  inquires.  Will  any 
president  of  the  United  States  ever 
again  be  content  to  be  merely  president 
of  the  United  States? 

After  Caius  Julius  Caesar  Octavianus 
what? 

Will  the  parochial  limits  of  the 
United  States  ever  content  the  boy  in 
breeches  who,  destined  to  lead,  is  spec- 
ulating whether  he  ever  could  be  presi- 
dent? President  of  what?  Of  these 
United  States  with  their  limited  bounda- 


THE  MANNER  OF  SAYING  IT 

ries?  Or  a  president  of  mandates? 
President  of  the  world? 

There  is  a  thought  for  the  fond 
American  mother  to  consider  as  she 
watches  her  yellow-haired  boy  at  prayer 
at  her  knees.  He  may  be  president  of 
the  world,  with  a  mandate  in  Armenia 
and  one  in  Ireland,  with  a  mandate  in 
China  and  one  in  Russia,  with  mandates 
everywhere  and  no  horizon  except  the 
ether. 

Somewhere  in  the  period  of  the  glory 
of  our  spreading  purple  there  may  arise 
a  Diocletian  who  may  turn  sour  on  the 
world  and  all  its  mandates  and  want 
merely  to  go  home  to  Dalmatia,  mind 
his  own  business,  and  raise  cabbages, 
but  what  a  glory  in  the  spreading  purple 
before  he  comes.  And  he  will  not 
establish  a  precedent  but  merely  express 
a  personal  distaste  for  so  large  a  thing 
as  the  world. 


When  Blood  Must  Be  Drawn. — Sharp  weapons  lie 
ready  to  the  editor's  hand,  but  must  be  used  with  cau- 
tion in  remembrance  of  what  happens  to  him  who 
takes  the  sword. 

John  Fiske,  one  of  the  most  persuasive  of  writers, 
had  this  to  say  of  the  most  effective  way  to  argue 
people  out  of  wrong  views  and  into  right  ones :  "Not 
by  wounding  prejudices  is  the  cause  of  truth  most 
efficiently  served.  Men  do  not  give  up  false  or  inade- 
quate beliefs  by  hearing  them  scoffed  at  or  harshly 
criticized.  They  give  them  up  only  when  they  have 
been  taught  truths  with  which  the  false  or  inadequate 
beliefs  are  incompatible." 

Nevertheless,  as  Mr.  Fiske  himself  demonstrated  on 
occasion,  if  a  sword  must  be  used,  it  should  not  be 

■    151 


THE  EDITORIAL 

handled  like  a  feather  duster.    Some  of  the  keen-edged 
instruments  of  style  are: 

1.  Innuendo. — Perhaps  the  most  subtle  of  all.  Of 
questionable  value  because  it  is  likely  to  escape  many 
readers,  and  because  a  large  proportion  of  those  who 
do  appreciate  may  resent  it  through  a  natural  dislike 
for  hints  and  covert  suggestions.  Nevertheless  few 
hard  fought  political  campaigns  are  free  from  in- 
nuendos  aimed  at  the  opposition  by  editorial  "writers. 
Insinuations  of  corruption  in  public  affairs,  sly  hints 
at  private  immoralities,  implications  of  bad  motives — 
all  uttered,  as  it  were^,  in  whispers  or  with  an  appear- 
ance of  the  most  innocent  intentions — disfigure  edi- 
torial pages  when  political  controversy  grows  warm. 
One  of  the  least  objectionable,  and  yet  effective,  forms 
of  innuendo  is  the  printing  of  a  fable  of  -<^sop,  or 
other  selection,  which  applies  to  a  local  situation.  Read- 
ers enjoy  its  aptness. 

2.  Satire. — Effective  especially  in  throwing  light 
on  the  evils  or  weaknesses  in  institutions,  conventions, 
or  customs.  Injects  spice  into  style,  and  when  the 
subject  warrants  its  use,  is  an  excellent  means  of  in- 
creasing the  readability  of  an  editorial. 

When  actors  in  New  York  went  on  a  strike  to  force 
concessions  from  managers,  the  Times  assumed  a  tone 
o'f  not  unkindly  satire  in  the  following  editorial. 

ACTING  ON  THE  SIDEWALK 

Loyal  members  of  the  Actors'  Equity 
Association  should  not  permit  their  in- 
stincts as  comedians  to  get  the  better 
of  their  plain  duty  as  strikers.     Pooh- 


THE  MANNER  OF  SAYING  IT 

Bah  is  one  of  the  fattest  parts  known 
to  the  stage,  but  it  should  be  confined 
to  the  stage.  It  does  not  speed  the  great 
cause  when  two  actors,  who  happen  to 
be  also  managers,  appear  on  the  side- 
walk and  confide  to  the  populace  the 
extreme  embarrassment  which  they 
would  suflFer  in  both  capacities  if  they 
permitted  themselves  as  actors  to  break 
their  contracts  with  themselves  as  man- 
agers. Again  when  an  able  and  aerial 
funmaker  diverts  the  public  at  the  foot 
of  the  elevator  by  his  protests  of  un- 
dying fealty  to  the  cause  of  Equity,  and 
then  ascends  the  lift  to  resume  his  place 
on  the  stage  above,  he  must  expect  his 
triumphant  manager  to  bill  him  hence- 
forth as  Edward  Recantor.  Sabotage 
may  have  its  place  in  the  program  of 
the  workingman,  but  few  will  take  seri- 
ously the  threat  of  a  leading  lady  to 
ruin  the  productions  in  which  she  ap- 
pears by  secretly  neglecting  to  powder 
her  nose.  Such  tactics  may  temporarily 
induce  the  public  to  prefer  the  perform- 
ances on  the  sidewalk  to  those  within ; 
but  the  dictatorship  of  the  proletariat 
is  a  serious  cause  or  it  is  nothing. 

There  is  the  question,  furthermore,  of 
casualties  among  innocent  bystanders. 
Already  it  is  reported  that  one  unsus- 
pecting citizen,  exercising  his  undoubted 
right  to  walk  by  a  theater  entrance, 
exploded  with  laughter.  Things  have 
come  to  an  intolerable  pass  when  it  is 
not  safe  for  inhabitants  of  this  metrop- 
olis either  to  ride  or  to  walk.  To  the 
discerning  observer  the  strategy  of  the 
Equity  Association  is  obvious.  Team- 
play  is  the  strikers'  watchword.  But  let 
the  actors  remember  that  the  Devil  Dogs 
of  the  regular  army  have  returned.  If 
matters  are  allowed  to  come  to  a  crisis, 
it  will  be  their  stern  and  solemn  duty  to 
suppress  this  riot  of  jocularity.  Oliver 
Wendell  Holmes  was  a  wise  man  no  less 


THE  EDITORIAL 

than  a  witty  one.  As  strikers,  certainly, 
our  Thespians  will  do  well  to  heed  his 
precept  and  never  dare  to  be  as  funny 
as  they  can. 

One  element  in  the  populace,  and  by 
no  means  an  inconsiderable  element,  has 
thus  far  succeeded  in  taking  the  crisis 
seriously.  The  chorus  girls  are  forming 
a  union  which  is  to  petition  humbly  for 
affiliation  with  the  Equity  Association, 
under  the  American  Federation  of 
Labor.  Even  if  the  strike  continues  to 
grow,  it  is  manifestly  impossible  that 
they  should  all  receive  speaking  parts, 
so  the  accession  of  strength  to  the 
strikers  may  be  considerable.  We  should 
be  loath  to  take  sides  in  the  great  con- 
flict; but  from  the  point  of  view  of  the 
most  detached  and  philosophic  observer 
it  is  obvious  that  the  strongest  fortress 
of  the  striker  is  the  absence,  or  at  least 
the  temporary  abeyance,  of  the  sense  of 
humor. 


A  bit  of  ironical  satire  from  the  Cleveland  Press: 


100  PER  CENT  FREEDOM 

An  increase  of  lOO  per  cent  in  the 
cost  of  men's  clothing  is  coming.  Kick? 
No,  sir !  We  kick  on  lOo  per  cent  rise 
in  bacon,  butter,  eggs  and  other  marvels 
that  go  into  us,  but  not  on  this  rise  in 
costs  of  clothes,  because  the  designers 
provide  a  compensation  for  the  lovely 
hold-up.  "Gaudy  things  in  Alice  blue, 
orange  and  similar  brilliant  hues  will  be 
the  vogue,"  to  quote  the  designers. 

What  care  we  for  loo  per  cent,  when 
we  can  waft  ourself  down  to  the  office 
in  orange  coat,  vest  of  Alice  blue  and 
sunflower  trousers?  The  whole  range 
of  "brilliant  hues"  will  be  open  to  us, 
and  we'll  lay  our  lOO  per  cent  on  the 
altar  without  a  sniffle  or  complaint. 


THE  MANNER  OF  SAYING  IT 

Doggone  it !  The  confinement  to  1 
somber  hues  has  been  a  thorn  in  our 
side  all  our  life.  Years  we  have  worn 
the  aspect  of  the  smoky  bat,  while 
mother,  sister  and  daughter  have  scin- 
tillated with  hues.  No  more  the  "tone" 
of  the  lowly  burro.  The  vain  butterfly 
shall  dodge  our  trousers  swinging  on  the 
family  clothes  line  and  the  conceited 
rainbow  shall  weep  floods  of  envy  in 
the  presence  of  our  resplendent  vest. 

Cost?  Is  there  any  price  too  high 
to  pay  for  freedom  from  female  criti- 
cism of  our  "color  tone"?  And  you  can 
bet  that  the  females  won't  criticize,  if 
we're  only  in  vogue,  whatever  our 
"tone." 

3.  Irony. — A  highly  distinctive  form,  easy  to  em- 
ploy because  it  involves  little  more  than  inverting  state- 
ments so  that  they  say  the  opposite  of  what  they  mean. 
This  two-edged  weapon  should  be  chosen  with  reluct- 
ance. Irony  seems  to  carry  with  it  a  sneer,  and  it  is 
difficult,  in  such  a  case,  to  be  sure  of  the  sympathy  of 
the  readers. 

The  Kansas  City  Star  grows  ironical  at  the  attitude 
of  some  of  the  citizens  of  that  town.  Perhaps  the 
effect  was  salutary. 

"HURTING  THE  TOWN." 

Isn't  it  about  time  an  understanding 
should  be  reached  as  to  what  really 
"hurts  the  town"? 

***** 

The  extreme  solicitude  of  certain  men 
for  the  welfare  of  Kansas  City  is,  in- 
deed, beautiful  to  behold.  They  are 
ready  to  forgive  public  service  corpora- 
tions any  sin  of  omission  or  commission 


THE  EDITORIAL 

so  long  as  they  manage  to  keep  up  ap- 
pearances and  keep  going.  It  would 
never  do  to  let  bondholders  or  stock- 
holders lose  anything  by  a  showdown, 
because  that  would  attract  attention  and 
"hurt  the  town." 

It  wouldn't  hurt  the  town,  of  course, 
for  Kansas  City  to  have  the  highest 
street  railway  fare  of  any  city  in  the 
country. 

***** 

It  doesn't  hurt  the  town  to  have  the 
transportation  system  of  the  city  so 
mismanaged  that  its  service  often  is  an 
outrage  on  the  community  and  an  as- 
tonishment to  the  stranger  within  the 
gates. 

It  doesn't  hurt  the  town  when  the 
street  railway  company  spends  its  rev- 
enues to  put  over  one-sided  franchises 
and  to  finance  costly  reorganizations  and 
then  fails  to  live  up  to  the  terms  of 
contracts  thus  procured,  on  the  ground 
that  the  management  cannot  make  ends 
meet. 

Certainly  not.  These  things  are  good 
and  wholesome  for  the  city  and  the 
people  who  must  use  the  street  cars, 
and,  of  course,  they  constitute  the  best 
possible  advertisement  at  a  time  when 
competition  among  rival  cities  is  par- 
ticularly keen. 


The  Emporia  Gazette  indulges  its  skepticism  in  iron- 
ical vein  thus : 


A  MOLLOW  HOCKERY 

Three  investigations  have  started  in 
Chicago  to  fix  the  blame  for  the  blimp 
disaster.    Fine  business ! 

Those  who  remember  how  many  guilty 
men  were  hanged  for  the  Iriquois  fire 
will  quiver  with  terror  at  the  outcome 

IS6 


THE  MANNER  OF  SAYING  IT 

of  these  three  investigations.  And  the 
same  huzzahs  of  approval  that  greeted 
the  hanging  of  the  men  responsible  for 
the  Eastland  drowning  will  rise  when 
the  ruthless  *rm  of  the  Chicago  law 
grijjs  the  blimp  gang  by  the  throat. 
Three  separate  investigations,  city,  state 
and  federal,  always  are  required  in  Chi- 
cago to  save  the  face  of  the  town. 

What  a  Chinese  village  it  is — that 
Chicago ! 

4.  Sarcasm. — Coarser  and  more  brutal  than  satire 
or  irony,  sarcasm  is  the  weapon  too  frequently  chosen 
by  the  inexperienced.  Its  derivative  meaning,  tearing 
the  flesh,  expresses  well  its  characteristics.  As  com- 
pared with  the  poisoned  dart  of  innuendo,  the  rapier  of 
satire,  the  double-edged  sword  of  irony,  sarcasm  is  the 
broad  ax.  Its  indiscriminate  use  is  more  likely  to 
create  sympathy  for  the  person  attacked  than  other- 
wise. 

Considering  the  objects  of  the  following  sarcastic 
remarks  in  the  Cleveland  Press,  there  is  probably  no 
danger  of  boomerang  effects : 

ON  SOLID  GROUND 

An  honest  profiteer  is  the  strangest 
work  of  God. 

Come  now  some  shoe  manufacturers 
with  the  declaration  that  prices  of  foot- 
wear are  going  to  rise  and  that  high 
prices  are  "due  to  depletion  of  stocks, 
the  prosperity  of  the  country,  and  Euro- 
pean buying." 

The  people  have  the  prosperity,  so 
soak  'em !  Isn't  it  refreshing  in  these 
dubious  times  of  commercial  hypocrisy, 
to  hear  one  gang  come  right  out  and 


THE  EDITORIAL 

declare  that  they're  going  to  gouge  be- 
cause the  gouging  is  good? 

Of  course,  there  may  be  some  deple- 
tion of  stocks  and  Europe  may  be  buy- 
ing, but  how  puerile  such  excuses  when 
there  is  ready  to  hand  the  magnificent 
ground  for  a  hold-up  in  the  fact  that 
Mr.  Common  Victim  still  has  money 
in  his  pocket !  Forsooth,  you  don't  hear 
of  burglars  breaking  into  poorhouses,  or 
highwaymen  holding  up  tramps,  do  you? 
Certainly  not. 

Always  put  your  pistol  at  the  head 
of  prosperous  folks.  Those  boot  and 
shoe  fellows  are  to  be  thanked  for  peel- 
ing the  camouflage  off  the  going  busi- 
ness process. 

5.  Ridicule. — Nothing  but  the  wheel  of  torture  ade- 
quately represents  this  form  of  writing  or  speaking. 
The  normal  human  being  can  endure  almost  anything 
easier  than  to  be  made  ridiculous.  Here,  again,  the 
editorial  writer,  even  though  he  is  sure  that  the  object 
of  his  attack  deserves  such  treatment,  will  employ 
ridicule  with  care  knowing  that  its  general  effect  is 
liable  to  be  the  opposite  of  what  he  desires.  Particu- 
larly will  he  avoid  this  tone  in  referring  to  anything 
which  men  or  women  anywhere  hold  sacred.  This 
from  the  New  York  Sun: 

IT  WILL  NOt  WORK 

Here  is  an  impudent  young  fellow 
who  thinks  to  make  use  of  the  Sun  to 
proclaim  his  false  pretenses  and  secure 
his  discreditable  object: 

"I  am  a  young*  man,  good  looking, 
have  an  income  of  three  thousand  a 
year.  I  would  like  a  wife.  She  must  be  a 


THE  MANNER  OF  SAYING  IT 


I  good  housekeeper  and  a  loving  wife; 
must  be  good  looking  and  respectable, 
and   an  American  girl. 

"P.  S. — Answer  in  person  or  by  letter. 

"Put  this  in  a  conspicuous  place." 

Yes,  young  man,  we  will  put  it  in  a 
conspicuous  place,  and  we  would  publish 
your  name  and  address  also,  as  you 
expected  us  to  do,  if  it  were  not  that 
we  would  thus  assist  you  in  your  raiser- 
able  game. 

An  income  of  $3,000  a  year !  You  are 
lucky  if  you  have  $300  a  year ;  but  even 
your  small  pecuniary  resources  must  be 
large  enough  to  enable  you  to  get  the 
schooling  you  need.  Your  handwriting 
is  the  handwriting  of  a  boy  of  twelve, 
and  the  best  thing  you  can  do  is  to 
improve  your  leisure  by  going  to  some 
evening  school,  instead  of  loafing  around 
beer  saloons  and  street  corners,  as  you 
probably  do.  There  you  will  learn 
something  of  value  to  you,  and,  if  you 
are  as  smart  as  you  think  you  are,  at 
some  future  time,  perhaps,  you  may  get 
the  income  which  you  falsely  pretend 
you  now  have.  Then,  when  you  deserve 
a  good  wife,  you  will  have  no  difficulty 
in  getting  one,  for  girls  who  satisfy  the 
conditions  you  lay  down  are  plenty.  In 
Brooklyn,  where  you  live,  there  are 
many  thousands  of  them,  but  they  are 
not  to  be  caught  by  such  a  cheap  trick 
as  that  you  thought  to  play  on  us.  No 
girl  of  any  sense  pays  the  least  atten- 
tion to  an  advertisement  like  yours, 
to  which  you  were  impudent  enough  to 
suppose  that  you  could  humbug  us  into 
giving   free  and  prominent  publication. 

We  are  sorry  to  say  that  you  are  a 
specimen  of  a  great  lot  of  young  fel- 
lows in  all  large  towns,  who  are  a 
constant  cause  of  anxiety  to  their 
parents  because  of  their  general  worth- 
lessness,  and  a  source  of  danger  and 
annoyance   to   decent   girls   because   of 


THE  EDITORIAL 

their  lack  of  principle.  Doubtless .  your 
wife  would  need  to  be  a  good  house- 
keeper, provident  and  self-denying,  for 
she  would  probably  have  to  keep  you. 
The  more  loving  she  was  the  worse  it 
would  be  for  her,  since  you  would  im- 
pose on  her  affectionate  fidelity. 

Such  is  our  answer  to  your  impudent 
letter,  young  man. 

6.  Invective. — In  a  series  like  the  foregoing,  pro- 
ceeding from  the  most  subtle  to  the  least  so,  vitupera- 
tion stands  last.  It  is  direct,  undisguised  abuse.  The 
only  reason  for  mentioning  it  here  is  to  state  the 
opinion  that  no  editorial  writer  ever  gains  anything 
by  using  it.  It  is  sure  to  disgust  readers.  They  are 
not  equipped  with  mud  guards. 

The  days  of  editorial  wars  have  practically  passed. 
Any  American  editor  of  the  past  who  might  return 
to  metropolitan  journaHsm  to-day  and  introduce  into 
his  columns  the  sort  of  personal  abuse  which  he  was 
accustomed  to  deal  out  in  the  "good  old  days"  would 
speedily  become  an  object  of  pity  and  contempt.  Only 
in  country  journalism,  where  a  few  of  the  old  type  of 
dog-fight  editors  still  flourish,  could  he  find  refuge; 
and  the  day  is  not  far  when  he  would  find  no  place 
at  all  in  the  journalism  of  this  country.  Such  person- 
alities as  the  following,  directed  by  Webb,  of  the  Cou- 
rier and  Enquirer,  at  Greeley  of  the  Tribune,  were 
common  in  the  last  century: 


The  editor  of  the  Tribune  would  have 
all  the  world  live  upon  branbread  and 
sawdust.  He  seeks  for  notoriety  by 
pretending  to  great  eccentricity  of  char- 
acter and  habits,  and  by  the  strangeness 

i6o 


THE  MANNER  OF  SAYING  IT 

of  his  theories  and  practices ;  we,  on  the 
contrary,  are  content  with  following  the 
beaten  path,  and  accomplishing  the  good 
we  can,  in  the  old-fashioned  way.  He 
lays  claim  to  greatness  by  wandering 
through  the  streets  with  a  hat  double 
the  size  of  his  head,  a  coat  after  the 
fashion  of  Jacob's  of  old,  with  one  leg 
of  his  pantaloons  inside  and  the  other 
outside  of  his  boot,  and  with  boots  all 
bespattered  with  mud,  or  possibly  a 
shoe  on  one  foot  and  boot  on  the  other, 
and  glorying  in  an  unwashed  and  un- 
shaven person. 

To  which  Greeley  replied: 

It  is  true  that  the  Editor  of  the 
Tribune  chooses  mainly  (not  entirely) 
vegetable  food ;  but  he  never  troubles 
his  readers  on  the  subject;  it  does  not 
worry  them ;  why  should  it  concern  the 
Colonel?  It  is  hard  for  philosophy  that 
so  humble  a  man  shall  be  made  to  stand 
as  its  exemplar,  while  Christianity  is 
personified  by  the  hero  of  the  Sunday 
duel  with  Hon.  Tom  Marshall ;  but  such 
luck  will  happen.  As  to  our  personal 
appearance,  it  does  seem  time  that  we 
should  say  something.  Some  donkey,  a 
while  ago,  apparently  anxious  to  assail 
or  annoy  the  Editor  of  this  paper,  and 
not  well  knowing  with  what,  originated 
the  story  of  his  carelessness  of  personal 
appearance ;  and  since  then,  every  block- 
head of  the  same  disposition,  and  dis- 
tressed by  a  similar  lack  of  ideas,  has 
repeated  and  exaggerated  the  folly,  un- 
til, from  its  origin  in  the  Albany  Micro- 
scope, it  has  sunk  down  at  last  to  the 
coTumns  of  the  Courier  and  Enquirer, 
growing  more  absurd  at  every  landing. 
Yet,  all  this  time,  the  object  of  this  silly 
raillery  has  doubtless  worn  better  clothes 
than  two-thirds  of  those  who  assailed 
him — better    than   any    of    them  -could 

i6i 


THE  EDITORIAL 

honestly  wear  if  they  paid  their  debts 
otherwise  than  by  bankruptcy ;  while,  if 
they  are  indeed  more  cleanly  than  he, 
they  must  bathe  very  thoroughly  not 
less  than  twice  every  day.  The  Editor 
of  the  Tribune  is  the  son  of  a  poor  and 
humble  farmer;  came  to  New  York  a 
minor,  without  a  friend  within  two 
hundred  miles,  less  than  ten  dollars  in 
his  pocket,  and  precious  little  besides; 
he  has  never  had  a  dollar  from  a  rela- 
tive, and  has,  for  years,  labored  under 
a  load  of  debt.  Henceforth  he  may  be 
able  to  make  a  better  show,  if  deemed 
essential  by  his  friends ;  for  himself  he 
has  not  much  time  or  thought  to  bestow 
on  the  matter.  That  he  ever  affected 
eccentricity  is  most  untrue;  and  cer- 
tainly no  costume  he  ever  appeared  in, 
would  create  such  a  sensation  in  Broad- 
way, as  that  James  Watson  Webb  would 
have  worn,  but  for  the  clemency  of  Gov. 
Seward.  Heaven  grant  our  assailant 
may  never  hang  with  such  weight  on 
another  Wbig  executive ! — We  drop  him. 

Or  Greeley's  retort  to  Bryant,  "You  lie,  villain  ^ 
Willfully,  wickedly,  basely  lie!"  And  his  description 
of  Bennett  as  a  "low  mouthed,  blatant,  witless  scoun- 
drel." 

The  wise  editor  knows,  perhaps  through  experience, 
that  when  he  is  attacked  it  is  neither  fair  to  himself 
nor  his  readers  to  start  a  "war."  He  either  ignores  the 
onslaught  or  meets  it  in  the  spirit  of  the  following 
from  the  Emporia  (Kansas)  Gazette: 

"BADLY  OVERESTIMATED" 

A  heart-searching  young  gentleman 
correspondent  for  a  Staflford  County 
paper  from  Topeka,  writes  to  his  home 
paper  that  the  editor  of  the  Gazette  is 

162 


THE  MANNER  OF  SAYING  IT 


"badly  overestimated."  Perhaps  that 
may  be  in  Topeka  and  in  Stafford 
County,  but  here  in  Lyon  County,  in 
Emporia,  and  in  the  Fourth  Ward  in 
particular,  they  have  the  person  in  ques- 
tion cut  down  to  an  equitable  basis,  with 
all  the  water,  air  and  fizz  squeezed  out. 
As  a  result  he  gets  the  everlasting 
daylights  kicked  out  of  him  in  about 
three  primaries  out  of  five,  and  is  used 
for  a  door-mat,  whenever  the  fellows 
feel  that  they  should  clean  their  feet. 
A  favorite  game  up  in  the  ward  is  to 
put  the  head  of  the  editor  of  this  great 
home  favorite  through  a  hole  in  a 
blanket  and  offer  a  prize  for  the  fellow 
who  can  hit  it  the  most  times  in  a 
county  convention — "every  time  you  hit 
the  baby  you  get  a  fine  cigar."  And 
there  is  always  a  scramble  for  a  throw. 

The  young  gentleman  from  Stafford 
may  have  the  truth  about  the  estimation 
of  the  Gazette's  editor  in  Topeka  and 
Stafford  and  other  remote  parts  of  the 
solar  system,  but  here  in  Emporia  they 
know  the  facts ;  what  is  more,  there  is 
an  interesting  family  in  the  northeast 
end  of  the  Fourth  ward  that  also  knows 
the  facts — the  cold,  clammy,  uncomfort- 
able facts,  and  there  are  tjmes  when  the 
said  family  hereinbefore  described  and 
above-mentioned  does  not  hesitate  to  let 
in  the  light,  and  a  certain  pussy  little 
man  with  the  buff  showing  through  the 
top  of  his  hair,  is  rudely  and  coldly 
exposed  to  the  withering  truth;  at  such 
times  the  kink  comes  out  of  his  back- 
bone, the  bulge  out  of  his  breast,  the 
starch  melts  out  of  his  knees,  and  before 
the  shrinking  is  done  he  has  to  tiptoe 
to  look  over  his  shoetops  into  a  hard, 
disenchanted  world. 

If  the  Stafford  county  journalist  will 
come  to   Emporia  he  can   learn   some- 
thing to  his  advantage  about  this  over- 
estimation  business. 
163 


THE  EDITORIAL 

William  Allen  White,  the  writer  of  the  foregoing, 
has  a  theory  that  in  a  political  contest  it  is  often  the 
duty  of  the  editor  to  draw  the  fire  of  the  opposition  to 
himself  in  order  to  protect  his  candidates.  "Punish- 
ment" is  apparently  this  editor's  meat  and  drink. 

Comment  on  the  use  of  too  strong  a  word  in  an 
editorial  was  made  in  several  newspapers  following  the 
decision  in  the  libel  suit  of  Henry  Ford  against  the 
Chicago  Tribune.  (The  Tribune  called  Mr.  Ford  an 
anarchist.  Mr.  Ford  sued  the  Tribune  for  libel,  asking 
one  million  dollars  damages.  The  jury  found  the 
paper  guilty  of  libel  and  awarded  the  plaintiff  six 
cents.)  The  following  is  from  an  editorial  in  the 
Topeka  Capital: 

"Newspapers,"  says  the  New  York 
Evening  Post,  "sometimes  fall  into  un- 
intended or  inadvertent  libels.  But  this 
excuse  was  not  pleaded  by  the  Chicago 
Tribune.  Its  attack  on  Henry  Ford  was 
deliberate  and  studied.  It  knew  per- 
fectly the  risk  it  was  taking.  Now  it 
has  had  a  rather  costly  education  in  the 
danger  of  throwing  libelous  epithets, 
instead  of  reasons,  at  a  private  citizen." 

That  is  the  actual  significance  of  the 
case.  More  and  more  newspapers  have 
come  to  learn  that  no  matter  how  zeal- 
ous their  belief  in  any  disputed  matter, 
they  gain  nothing  by  arguing  with  hard 
words  and  bad  temper  instead  of  rea- 
son. Calling  pepple  names  is  a  practice 
that  most  newspapers  have  outgrown. 
If  they  can  not  convince  or  influence 
public  opinion  by  reason,  they  can  not 
hope  to  do  so  by  applying  epithets  to 
those  with  whom  they  do  not  agree. 
Every  newspaper  editor  receives  letters, 
usually  anonymous,  applying  every  sort 

164 


THE  MANNER  OF  SAYING  IT 


of  epithet  to  him  and  his  opinions,  but 
the  effect  of  this  common  experience 
is  to  convince  him  of  the  uselessness  for 
any  purpose  of  merely  "calHng  names." 
The  Tribune  in  its  zeal  denounced 
Henry  Ford  as  an  anarchist  and  implied 
at  least  that  he  is  an  enemy  of  the 
government  and  country.  It  would  have 
got  further  by  replying  to  his  arguments 
and  showing  up  the  fallaciousness  of  his 
views. 

Once  in  a  while,  however,  is  an  instance  in  which  an 
editor  feels,  justly,  that  heroic  remedies  must  be  ap- 
plied. Such  was  the  case  when  William  Allen  White, 
in  1896,  wrote  an  editorial  that  was  notable  in  political 
history,  on  "What's  the  Matter  with  Kansas?"  This 
editorial  in  the  Emporia  Gazette,  after  pointing  out 
that  for  several  years  Kansas  had  been  losing  in  popu- 
lation, wealth  and  reputation  abroad,  undertook  to 
explain  why.  The  following  are  characteristic  para- 
graphs full  of  epithets  and  irony : 

What's   the   matter  with  Kansas? 

We  all  know ;  yet  here  we  are  at  it 
again.  We  have  an  old  mossback  Jack- 
sonian  who  snorts  and  howls  because 
there  is  a  bath  tub  in  the  statehouse ; 
we  are  running  that  old  jay  for  gover- 
nor. We  have  another  shabby,  wild- 
eyed,  rattlebrained  fanatic  who  has  said 
openly  in  a  dozen  speeches  that  "the 
rights  of  the  user  are  paramount  to  the 
rights  of  the  owner" ;  we  are  running 
him  for  chief  justice,  so  that  capital 
will  come  tumbling  over  itself  to  get 
into  the  state.  We  have  raked  the  old 
ash  heap  of  failure  in  the  state  and 
found  an  old  human  hoopskirt  who  has 
failed  as  an  editor,  who  has  failed  as  a 
teacher,  and  we  are  going  to  run  him 

165 


THE  EDITORIAL 

for  congressman-at-large.  He  will  help 
the  looks  of  the  Kansas  delegation  at 
Washington.  Then  we  have  discovered 
a  kid  without  a  law  practice  and  have 
decided  to  run  him  for  attorney  general. 
Then,  for  fear  some  hint  that  the  state 
had  become  respectable  might  percolate 
through  the  civilized  portions  of  the 
nation,  we  have  decided  to  send  three 
or  four  harpies  out  lecturing,  telling  the 
people  that  Kansas  is  raising  hell  and 
letting  the  corn  go  to  weeds. 

Oh,  this  is  a  state  to  be  proud  of! 
We  are  a  people  who  can  hold  up  our 
heads!  What  we  need  here  is  less  cap- 
ital, fewer  white  shirts  and  brains,  fewer 
men  with  business  judgment,  and  more 
of  those  fellows  who  boast  that  they 
are  "just  ordinary  clodhoppers,"  but 
they  know  more  in  a  minute  about 
finance  than  John  Sherman ;  we  need 
more  men  who  are  "posted,"  who  can 
bellow  about  the  crime  of  '73,  who  hate 
prosperity,  and  who  think  because  a 
man  believes  in  national  honor,  he  is  a 
tool  of  Wall  Street.  We  have  had  a 
few  of  them,  some  150,000 — but  we  need 
more.  We  need  several  thousand  gib- 
bering idiots  to  scream  about  the  "Great 
Red  Dragon"  of  Lombard  Street.  We 
don't  need  population,  we  don't  need 
wealth,  we  don't  need  standing  in  the 
nation,  we  don't  need  cities  on  the  fer- 
tile prairies ;  you  bet  we  don't !  What 
we  are  after  is  the  money  power.  Be- 
cause we  have  become  poorer  and  or- 
nerier  and  meaner  than  a  spavined,  dis- 
tempered mule,  we,  the  people  of  Kan- 
sas, promise  to  kick;  we  don't  care  to 
build  up,  we  wish  to  tear  down. 

Many  war  editorials  were  naturally  of  a  denuncia- 
tory type.  One  entitled  "Deadly  Danger,"  written  by 
Elmer  T.  Peterson  of  the  Wichita  Beacon,  was  chosen 

166 


THE  MANNER  OF  SAYING  IT 

as  the  "gold  medal  editorial"  in  a  contest  conducted 
in  1918  by  the  trade  paper,  Editor  and  Publisher. 

Another  Powerful  Element. — Entirely  unlike  the 
foregoing  six  sharp  weapons  of  attack,  except  that  it 
is  a  special  form  adapted  to  attaining  certain  particu- 
lar ends,  is  pathos.  Like  humor — which  is  sufficiently 
discussed  elsewhere  in  speaking  of  the  entertainment 
type  of  editorial  and  in  the  chapter  on  paragraphers — 
it  lends  a  characteristic  tone  to  the  editorial  and  is  an 
element  that  no  well-balanced  editorial  "page  will  lack. 

The  following  from  the  Kansas  City  Star  is  an  ex- 
ample of  this  "human  interest"  variety  of  the  interpre- 
tive editorial : 


ONLY  A  DOG 

Greeley,  Colo. — Despairing  of  ever 
again  seeing  their  little  house  dog,  which 
had  been  missing  for  several  days,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  J.  E.  Bowers  drove  out  to 
Linn  Grove  Cemetery  to  place  flowers 
on  the  grave  of  their  baby,  who  died  a 
few  months  ago.  There  on  the  tiny 
mound  they  found  the  dog  asleep  and 
almost  exhausted  from  grief  and  hunger. 
— News  Dispatch. 

Yet  it  was  "only  a  dog"  keeping  the 
love  vigil  under  the  stars  in  Linn  Grove 
Cemetery. 

The  Bowers  family,  no  doubt,  had 
been  criticized  for  keeping  it  around 
the  house.  Indignant  highbrows,  quite 
possibly,  had  written  letters  to  the  Gree- 
ley papers  to  protest  that  there  were 
"too  many  worthless  curs  in  this  town." 
There  was  nothing  inviting  about  it, 
perhaps,  to  look  at.  It  barked  at  the 
milkman  and  made  life  a  burden  for 
the  iceman.     Occasionally  it  chased  the 

167 


THE  EDITORIAL 


neighbor's  cat  up  a  tree,  and  when  it 
found  nobody  to  annoy,  and  the  baby 
was  asleep,  it  amused  itself  by  scratch- 
ing its  ears — in  public.  Members  of  the 
women's  clubs  wondered  "what  the 
Bowers  family  meant"  by  lavishing  af- 
fection on  such  a  dog. 

But  the  Bowers  baby  and  the  Bowers 
dog  didn't  mind  what  the  highbrows 
said  or  what  the  club  women  thought. 
They  rolled  on  the  floor  together,  and 
the  baby  roughed  the  dog's  wool,  pulled 
its  ears  and  twisted  its  tail.  If  the  ice- 
man or  the  milkman  had  tried  that 
familiarity  there  would  have  been  trou- 
ble. But  the  iceman  and  the  milkman 
and  the  club  women  and  the  highbrows, 
who  hate  dogs,  couldn't  understand  the 
loyalty  that  bound  the  Bowers  dog  to 
the  Bowers  baby.  It  was  "only  a  dogr" 
to  them. 

And  when  the  Bowers  baby  died  there 
was  sympathy  for  all  the  family. 
Neighbors  called  to  offer  condolence 
and  to  do  all  they  could  to  heal  the 
sorely  wounded  hearts.  Nobody,  how- 
ever, thought  of  the  baby's  playfellow, 
the  Bowers  dog.  No  one  gave  a  thought 
to  him  as  he  wandered  through  the 
house  alone  looking  for  the  companion 
that  had  roughed  his  wool  and  pulled 
his  ears ;  listening  for  the  voice  that 
had  commanded  him  to  obedience,  even 
though  it  had  talked  in  baby  prattle. 
No  one  paid  attention  to  the  wistful, 
wondering  look  in  the  eyes  of  the 
Bowers  dog  as  he  went  from  one  to 
another,  seeking  in  dumb,  dog-fashion, 
an  explanation  of  the  mystery  of  mys- 
teries that  had  robbed  him  of  his  play- 
mate.    He  was  only  a  dog. 

When  the  Bowers  baby  was  taken 
from  the  house  by  strange  hands — they 
never  would  have  touched  the  baby  in 
other  days,  with  the  dog  standing  g^ard 
— and  the  silent,  solemn  procession  left 
i68 


THE  MANNER  OF  SAYING  IT 

the  Bowers  home  for  that  sad  journey 
to  Linn  Grove  Cemetery,  nobody  be- 
stowed so  much  as  a  look  upon  the 
Bowers  dog.  Why  should  they?  He 
was  only  a  dog. 

And  the  procession  from  Linn  Grove 
Cemetery  wended  home  again.  The 
Bowers  family  and  the  relatives  and 
the  sympathizing  friends  and  the  min- 
ister. The  little  Bowers  baby  was  left 
there  in  a  new  made  grave — but  not 
alone.  When  the  last  human  friend  had 
left  the  little  mound  there  came  a  watch- 
man to  keep  vigil,  a  watchman  prompted 
by  a  love  and  loyalty  that  passes  human 
ken.    It  was  the  Bowers  dog. 

In  his  way  the  dog  had  solved  the 
mystery.  They  found  him  there,  three 
days  later,  exhausted,  the  dispatch  reads, 
"from  grief  and  hunger,"  but  faithful 
still,   keeping'  watch  over  the   dead. 

Let  the  scientists  tell  us  that,  being 
only  a  dog,  he  could  not  have  been 
moved  by  a  sense  of  affection — and  let 
scientists  go  hang. 

For  there  is  the  Bowers  dog. 

Editor  Not  an  Autocrat. — A  style  which  might  be 
characterized  as  dictatorial  will  hardly  enhance  the 
influence  of  an  editor.  Few  people  enjoy  being  lec- 
tured by  one  who  assumes  that  he  is  saying  the  last 
word  on  the  subject.  Few  readers  enjoy  the  implica- 
tion that  if  they  do  not  agree  with  the  editorial  point 
,of  view,  they  are  fools  or  crooks.  Such  an  attitude 
may  appeal  to  the  writer  himself  as  a  most  enjoyable 
luxury,  but  it  is  undoubtedly  an  expensive  one.  It  is 
an  indulgence  of  egotism.  It  is  liable  to  beget  bigotry 
and  to  dissipate  any  hope  that  an  editorial  writer  will 
become  anything  more  than  a  space  filler. 

169 


THE  MANNER  OF  SAYING  IT 

Rather,  the  judicious  editor  will  take  care  to  afford 
his  reader  a  sense  of  discovery. 

Applied  too  broadly,  this  practice  in  writing  would 
make  of  the  editor  nothing  but  a  mouthpiece  for 
others.  That  is  not  the  meaning  of  the  principle.  It 
goes  no  further  than  to  recommend  that  the  editor 
avoid  exaltation  of  himself;  that  he  choose  phrase- 
ology which  admits  the  reader  as  a  participant  in  con- 
sidering the  question  in  hand.  A  conclusion  which 
the  reader  feels  that  he  himself  has  formed  is  ten 
times  as  compelling  as  one  handed  to  him  ready-made. 
For  instance,  given  the  facts  about  a  man,  the  reader 
will  apply  the  right  label ;  but  if  the  editor  applies  the 
label,  the  reader  instinctively  questions  his  motive — • 
the  label  does  not  stick. 

Avoid  the  Editorial  "We." — Perhaps  here,  refer- 
ence may  be  made  in  passing  to  the  unfortunate  prac- 
tice, now  obsolescent,  of  using  the  personal  "we"  as 
a  term  of  reference  to  the  editor  or  the  paper.  It  is 
artificial  and  ridiculous  and  has  always  been  a  man- 
nerism inviting  jeers.  A  very  little  ingenuity  will 
enable  any  writer  to  avoid  its  use.  The  reader  of  edi- 
torials does  not  need  to  be  told  that  the  opinions  are 
"ours."  It  is  preferable  to  introduce  the  name  of 
the  paper,  if  the  need  seems  desperate.  The  only 
excuse  for  reference  to  the  editor  is  to  lend  a  touch 
of  humor,  as  in  some  such  expression  as  this,  often 
found  in  smaller  newspapers,  "the  editor  of  this  moral 
guide  and  bearer  of  intelligence." 

Deadening  Effect  of  Commonplaceness. — The  un- 
pardonable sin  of  style  is  the  use  of  stereotyped  ex- 

171 


THE  EDITORIAL 

pressions  and  hackneyed  words.  The  temptation  to  use 
them  is  too  strong  to  be  resisted  by  a  lazy  writer.  They 
always  lie  conveniently  at  hand ;  but  so  far  as  actually 
carrying  across  to  the  reader  any  real  meaning,  they 
are  futile.  No  reader's  interest  can  survive  an  attack 
with  these  deadening  instruments.  One  is  almost 
moved  to  say  that  the  opposite  extreme — the  use  of  un- 
usual, even  freakish,  forms  of  expression — is  pref- 
erable. 

True,  great  men  are  often  guilty  of  commonplace- 
ness;  but  that  need  not  recommend  it  to  smaller  men 
who  lack  the  marvelous  compensating  qualities  of  the 
great.  The  following  extract  from  an  editorial  in  the 
New  York  Evening  Post  is  an  illuminating  discussion 
of  this  aspect  of  style : 

r 

"The  greatest  master  of  platitude  since  George  Wash- 
ington." This  was  the  characterization  of  Grover  Cleve- 
land, at  the  height  of  his  fame,  made  by  Abram  S.  Hewitt. 
But  Mr.  Hewitt  did  not  live  to  see  the  maturing  of  Mr. 
Roosevelt's  greater  genius  in  the  use  of  the  commonplace. 

:((  4c  *  4c  ♦  ♦  * 

The  men  named  might  well  furnish  concrete  illustrations 
to  a  teacher,  or  an  essayist,  pointing  out  the  dangers,  as 
well  as  the  possibilities,  of  great  success,  in  the  use  of 
ordinary  routine  thoughts  and  sentiments  by  public  men. 

Mr.  Cleveland's  ponderous  style  in  the  enforcement  of 
the  obvious  was  often  mocked  at  by  the  light-minded. 
They  made  fun  of  his  heavy-footed  phrases,  of  his  earnest 
insistence  upon  everyday  virtues.  But  the  effect  was  by 
no  means  ridiculous.  Mr.  Hewitt  was  half-envious  and 
nearly  all  admiring  when  he  called  Cleveland  a  master  of 

172 


THE  MANNER  OF  SAYING  IT 

platitude.  To  make  use  of  it  so  as  to  achieve  great  re- 
sults— ah !  that  is  the  art  which  is  the  despair  of  many 
aspiring  politicians. 

Behind  the  common  thoughts  and  undistinguished  style 
of  President  Cleveland  lay  the  weight  of  his  rugged 
character.  When  he  solemnly  declared  that  public  offi- 
cials should  devote  themselves  diligently  to  the  service  of 
the  country,  people  did  not  laugh,  because  they  saw  that 
he  believed  implicitly  what  he  said  and  acted  upon  it 
himself,  giving  to  his  own  duties  an  industry  that  was  at 
times  cruel  and  a  determination  that  was  iron.  He  could 
exhort  his  fellow  citizens  to  practice  the  undisputed  civic 
virtues  because  they  saw  the  unusual  man  behind  the 
usual  words. 

With  Roosevelt,  the  commonplace  took  on  the  air  of 
extreme  novelty.  This  was  because  he  was  able  to  im- 
part to  it  such  energy  and  passion.  He  did  not  content 
himself  with  the  bare  statement  that  children  ought  to 
love  their  fathers  and  mothers.  In  his  hands  the  obvious 
became  a  flaming  sword.  He  would  wave  it  vehemently 
above  his  head  and  defy  the  world  to  deny  that  crime 
ought  to  be  punished  and  virtue  rewarded.  Such  zest 
and  joy  did  he  put  into  his  vigorous  enunciations  of  what 
all  sane  men  agree  to  be  true,  that  he  somehow  appeared, 
even  when  uttering  platitudes,  as  a  great  moral  and  politi- 
cal discoverer.  His  explosive  and  resounding  phrases, 
the  mighty  thwacks  which  he  laid  on  the  backs  of  his 
imaginary  mollycoddles  and  milksops,  helped  to  keep  the 
people  attent  to  his  thunderings  of  the  commonplace.  Mr. 
Roosevelt  attained  a  skill  and  triumph  in  that  sort  of 
mastery  of  platitude  which  leave  all  his  competitors  and 
rivals  nowhere.  ...  If,  as  the  old  writers  contended, 
eloquence  is  a  virtue  in  the  sense  that  it  requires  virtues 


THE  EDITORIAL 

in  the  orator  to  make  him  eloquent,  we  may  be  sure  that 
high  mental  talents  and  a  rush  of  soul  are  necessary  in 
the  man  who  is  to  be  successful  as  a  public  exhorter  in 
the  commonplace. 

Beware  of  Words. — One  of  the  curses  of  the  edi- 
torial page  is  a  wordy  style.  Refinement  of  expres- 
sion, by  which  is  meant  that  trimming,  modifying,  and 
shaping  of  the  language  to  express  delicate  shades  of 
thought,  is  not  without  its  special  merit;  but  the  use 
of  more  words  than  necessary,  and  larger  words  than 
necessary — the  spectacular  juggling  with  words — con- 
flicts with  the  attainment  of  any  serious  editorial  pur- 
pose. Many  editorial  writers — and  by  no  means  be- 
ginners only — need  to  go  through  their  copy  once  sole- 
ly to  cut  out  needless  words  and  to  substitute,  where 
possible,  words  of  smaller  dimensions. 

Since  quotations  embodying  criticism  of  two  former 
Presidents  have  been  introduced,  an  editorial  from  the 
New  York  Globe  touching  the  subject  of  wordiness  as 
practiced  by  President  Wilson  may  be  quoted : 

Posterity  will  judge  President  Wilson's  acts  more 
leniently  than  some  of  his  present-day  critics  do,  and  his 
words  somewhat  more  severely.  It  is  now  impossible  to 
ascertain  just  how  the  tradition  started  that  Mr.  Wilson 
has  a  beautiful  literary  style.  Possibly  the  knowledge  that 
he  had  been  a  college  professor  led  many  people  to  look 
for  the  literary  quality  in  him,  and  to  find  it  because  they 
looked  for  it.  He  has  a  way,  indeed,  of  leading  his 
auditors  into  an  Elysian  field  where  the  angularities  of  life 
are  momentarily  rounded  off  and  hard  realities  diluted 


THE  MANNER  OF  SAYING  IT 

with  phrases  until  they  cease  to  trouble.  But  a  careful 
reader  of  his  speeches,  escaping  this  illusion,  will  find  in 
them  an  irritating  evasion  of  the  actual  difficulties  of  the 
subjects,  and  this  is  achieved  at  the  cost  of  the  basic 
qualities  of  a  good  literary  style. 

Good  style  is  concise,  and  Mr.  Wilson  is  never  concise. 
Take  a  random  passage  from  his  address  at  President 
Poincare's  dinner.  "A  new  thing  that  has  happened  is 
that  we  have  translated  our  common  principles  and  our 
common  purposes  into  a  common  plan."  Of  this  sentence 
the  first  eight  words  are  unnecessary.  Four  others  (let 
the  reader  choose  for  himself)  could  be  omitted  with  ad- 
vantage. Take  another  sentence:  "Sometimes  the  work 
of  the  conference  has  seemed  to  go  very  slowly  indeed." 
Here  are  two  words  which  not  only  add  to  the  length  of 
the  phrase,  but  actually  weaken  it. 

Good  style  is  direct,  and  Mr.  Wilson  is  too  seldom 
direct.  Thus  he  says  of  his  associates  upon  the  conference 
board :  "We  have  been  constantly  in  the  presence  of  each 
other's  minds  and  motives  and  characters,  and  the  com- 
radeships which  are  based  upon  that  sort  of  knowledge 
are  sure  to  be  very  much  more  intelligent  not  only,  but 
to  breed  a  much  more  intimate  sympathy  and  compre- 
hension than  could  otherwise  be  created."  Even  when 
allowance  is  made  for  the  mistakes  of  a  sleepy  cable 
operator,  this  bulbous  passage  yields  a  scant  juice  of 
meaning. 

Platitudes  are  the  copper  coin  of  speech,  but  Mr.  Wilson 
says :  "Friendship  is  a  very  good  thing.  Intimacy  is  a 
very  enlightening  thing."  Insincerity  robs  even  golden 
words  of  their  charm,  but  Mr.  Wilson  tells  his  auditors, 
and  through  them  an  utterly  incredulous  America,  that  he 

175 


THE  EDITORIAL 

"has  seemed  to  see  the  profit"  in  the  disagreements  that 
lengthened  the  work  of  the  conference  and  prolonged  the 
sufferings  of  Europe. 

Mr,  Wilson  is  tired  and  his  Paris  address  was  not  the 
best  he  could  do.  But  it  is  fair  to  say  that  the  author  of 
that  address  will  live  in  history  for  other  qualities  than 
his  literary  craftsmanship. 

Condemnation  of  a  wordy  style  must  not  be  mis- 
understood as  advocacy  ot  a  simple  vocabulary.  Long* 
or  unusual  words  are  often  the  most  useful  in  saving 
many  other  words  and  in  rendering  the  exact  shade 
of  meaning.  To  give  the  preference  to  simple  words 
is,  of  course,  excellent  practice ;  but  to  write  as  casual- 
ly as  one  talks  is  -not  desirable ;  and  the  writer  who 
lacks  words  to'embody  thoughts  is  a  pitiful  object. 

The  "Megaphone"  Style. — The  style  characterized 
by  short  sentences  and-  short  paragraphs,  sometimes 
emphasized  by  typographical  expedients  such  as  the 
use  of  large  type  and  wide  columns,  has  been  described 
by  Professor  F.  N,  Scott,  of  the  University  of  Michi- 
gan, as  the  megaphone  style.  This  term  aptly  sets  forth 
its  merit.  When,  by  means  of  the  voice,  a  man  tries 
to  deliver  ideas  to  a  great  crowd,  he  uses  the  mega- 
phone and  discards  long  and  involved  sentences.  There 
are  times  when  a  similar  style  of  writing  has  decided 
advantages. 

The  following  from  the  New  York  Evening  Journal 
illustrates  this  vivid  quality  while  at  the  same  time 
setting  forth  one  of  the  editor's  notions  as  to  the 
function  of  the  editorial  column : 

176 


THE  MANNER  OF  SAYING  IT 

TO  EDITORIAL  WRITERS— ADOPT 
RUSKIN'S  MAIN  IDEA 

"His  pen  is  rust,  his  bones  are  dust 
(or  soon  will  be),  his  soul  is  with  the 
saints,  we  trust." 

Ruskin  is  to  be  buried  in  Westminster 
Abbey.  It  is  a  fine  home  for  a  dead 
man,  with  Chatham  and  his  great  son 
Pitt  in  one  tomb,  and  the  other  great 
skeletons  of  a  great  race  moldering 
side  by  side  so  neighborly. 

The  death  of  a  wolf  means  a  meal 
for  the  other  wolves.  The  death  of  a 
great  man  means  a  meal — mental  in- 
I  stead  of  physical — for  those  left  be- 
hind. Wolves  feed  their  stomachs — we 
feed  our  brains — on  the  dead. 

There  is  many  a  meal  for  the  hungry 
brain  in  Ruskin's  remains.  We  offer 
now  a  light  breakfast  to  that  galaxy  of 
American  talent  called  "editorial  writ- 
ers." 

Editorial  writing  may  be  defined  in 
general  as  "the  art  of  saying  in  a  com- 
monplace and  inoffensive  way  what 
everybody  knew  long  ago."  There  are 
a  great  many  competent  editorial  writ- 
ers, and  the  bittern  carrying  on  his 
trade  by  the  side  of  some  swamp  is 
about  as  influential  as  ten  ordinary  edi- 
torial writers  rolled  into  one. 

Why  is  it  that  we  are  so  worthless, 
O  editorial  writers?  Why  do  we  pro- 
duce such  feeble  results?  Why  do  we 
talk  daily  through  our  newspapers  to 
ten  millions  of  people  and  yet  have  not 
influence  to  elect  a  dog  catcher? 

Simply  because  we  want  to  sound 
wise,  when  that  is  impossible.  Simply 
because  we  are  foolish  enough  to  think 
that  commonplaces  passed  through  our 
commonplace  minds  acquire  some  new 
value.  We  start  off  with  a  wrong 
notion.  We  think  that  we  are  going  to 
lead,  that  we  are  going  to  remedy,  that 
177 


THE  EDITORIAL 

we  are  going  to  do  the  public  thinking 
for  the  public. 

Sad  nonsense.  The  best  that  the  best 
editorial  writer  can  achieve  is  to  make 
the  reader  think  for  himself.  At  this 
point  we  ask  our  fellow  editorial  men — 
our  superiors,  of  course — to  adopt  Rus- 
kin's  idea  of  a  useful  writer. 

In  a  letter  to  Mrs.  Carlyle,  written 
when  he  was  a  young  man,  he  outlined 
the  purpose  which  he  carried  out,  and 
which  explains  his  usefulness  to  his 
fellow-men : 

"I  have  a  great  hope  of  disturbing 
the  public  peace  in  various  directions." 

This  was  his  way  of  saying  that  he 
hoped  to  stir  up  dissatisfaction,  to  pro- 
voke irritation,  impatience  and  a  deter- 
mination to  do  better  among  the  un- 
fortunate. He  did  good,  because  he 
awoke  thought  in  thousands  of  others, 
in  millions  of  others. 

Editorial  writers,  don't  you  know  that 
stirring  up  dissatisfaction  is  the  greatest 
work  you  can  do? 

Tell  the  poor  man  ten  thousand  times : 

"There  is  no  reason  why  you  should 
be  overworked.  There  is  no  reason  why 
your  children  should  be  half-fed  and 
half-educated.  There  is  no  reason  why 
you  should  sweat  to  fatten  others." 

Tell  them  this  often  enough,  stir  up 
their  determination  sufficiently  —  they 
will  find  their  own  remedies. 

If  you  want  to  drive  out  the  handful 
of  organized  rogues  that  control  poli- 
tics and  traffic  in  votes,  don't  talk 
smooth  platitudes.  Tell  the  people  over 
and  over  again  that  the  thieves  are 
thieves,  that  they  should  be  in  jail,  that 
honest  government  would  mean  happier 
citizens,  that  the  individual  citizen  is 
responsible.  Keep  at  it,  and  the  country 
will  be  made  better  by  those  who  alone 
can  make  it  better — the  people. 
178 


THE  MANNER  OF  SAYING  IT 

Hasten  but  Don't  Hurry. — Style  does  not  neces- 
sarily reflect  the  manner  of  writing,  whether  slow  and 
painstaking  or  rapid  and  easy.  Each  individual  will 
develop  his  own  best  method,  but  it  is  safe  to  say  that 
rapidity  should  be  striven  for  in  the  formative  period 
of  one's  literary  career.  It  is  necessary  that  the  edi- 
torial writer  be  able  to  put  "go"  and  "dash"  itrto-what 
he  says.  But  it  is  difficult  to  have  much  faith  in  ad- 
vice along  this  line.  James  Barrie  was  once  asked 
for  a  recipe  for  the  production  of  newspaper  copy. 
On  a  crumpled  scrap  of  paper  Barrie  ventured  only 
the  following: 

2  pipes  equal  i  hour 

2  hours  equal  i  idea 

I  idea  equals  3  paragraphs 

3  paragraphs  equal  i  editorial 

Speaking  more  seriously  John  J.  Flinn  says : 

A  great  deal  of  nonsense  is  written  and  spoken  of  the 
"dashed  off"  editorial,  as  a  great  deal  of  nonsense  is 
written  and  spoken  of  the  "dashed  off"  essay,  or  poem. 
Newspaper  men,  it  is  true,  achieve  facility,  are  often 
gifted  with  the  ability  to  produce  good  copy  at  great 
speed,  but  I  have  found  no  writers  whose  copy  at  first 
draft  could  not  be  improved  by  careful  editing.  The 
further  along  a  practical,  working  newspaper  man  goes, 
the  more  desirous,  the  more  solicitous,  is  he  of  oppor- 
tunity to  revise  his  manuscript  and  his  proofs.  Only  the 
self-conceited,  the  self-satisfied,  and,  generally,  the  less 
efficient  writers  for  the  press  object  to  revision. 

179 


THE  EDITORIAL 

Self-Expression. — A  conscious  eflFort  to  put  one's 
personality  into  one's  written  discourse — to  be  one's 
self — is  to  be  commended.  Very  likely  those  who  dep- 
recate self-consciousness  are  right.  But  in  the  case 
of  many  young  writers,  there  seems  to  be  a  conscious 
effort  to  write  like  everybody  else — to  write  like  a 
book,  as  the  phrase  is.  Any  impulse  towards  an  origi- 
nal form  of  expression  seems  to  them  but  a  tempta- 
tion to  break  some  of  the  rules  which  they  have  come 
to  feel  as  limitations  on  freedom  in  writing.  The 
young  writer  will  profit  by  an  occasional  declaration 
of  independence  from  multitudinous  restrictions  and  a 
determination  to  be  himself  in  what  he  writes. 

Learning  to  Drive  Other  Models. — Not  at  all  the 
same  thing  as  "writing  like  everybody  else"  is  the  in- 
teresting adventure  in  style  which  one  enters  upon  by 
writing  in  imitation  of  some  one  in  particular.  The 
adventurer  writes  an  editorial,  one  day,  after  the  man- 
ner of  some  one  with  whose  work  he  is  familiar  and 
who  uses  a  style  that  might  be  called  abrupt,  explosive, 
sensational.  The  next  day,  he  imitates  the  sentiment- 
al, oleaginous  style  of  some  other  popular  favorite. 

Successful  imitation  will  require  mastery  of  the 
secrets  of  the  style  attempted.  This  is  tremendously 
valuable  study.  To  appreciate  just  what  gives  a  de- 
lightful originality,  whimsical  tone,  or,  perhaps,  a  stim- 
ulating flavor  of  gentle  surprise,  to  the  style  of  one 
writer,  and  to  acquire  skill  in  imitating  it,  is  to  enrich 
forever  the  experimenter's  power  of  expression.  Of 
course,  no  writer  will  consent  to  appropriate  the  man- 
nerisms of  another,  even  if  mannerisms  are  worth 

i8o 


THE  MANNER  OF  SAYING  IT 

having.  But  to  condemn  an  attempt  to  profit  by  what 
other  writers  have  added  to  usage  is  as  absurd  as  to 
object  to  the  adoption  of  the  accumulated  facts  of 
grammar  or  diction. 

True  it  is  that  content  is  more  important  than  form, 
that  if  an  editor  has  something  interesting  to  say  read- 
ers will  disregard  shortcomings  as  to  style.  And  it  is 
also  true  that  a  newspaper  office  is  hardly  the  place  for 
a  writer  who  regards  style  for  its  own  sake.  All 
this,  however,  leaves  untouched  the  fact  that  the  well- 
equipped  editorial  writer  is  the  one  who  not  only  has 
something  to  say  but  also  has  the  power  of  saying  it 
so  that  people  cannot  help  listening. 

Re-iteration  Has  Its  Use. — Consideration  of  the 
means  by  which  editors  get  results  would  not  be  com- 
plete without  reference  to  the  importance  of  repeti- 
tion. The  advertiser  understands  it  well.  The  most 
noticeable  thing  about  all  publicity  campaigns  is  re- 
iteration. To  be  sure,  it  requires  resourcefulness  to 
handle  the  same  matter  day  after  day  and  always  turn 
towards  the  reader  a  new  and  interesting  phase  of 
the  subject.  It  requires  ingenuity  to  know  just  what 
telling  phrase  may  judiciously  be  elevated  to  the  rank 
of  a  slogan  and  repeated  verbatim  on  every  occasion. 
But  it  can  be  done ;  is  being  done ;  is  well  worth  doing. 


CHAPTER  VIII 
PARAGRAPHS  AND  PARAGRAPHERS 

Everybody  is  a  paragrapher,  that  is  to  say,  every- 
body likes  to  make  concise  and  pointed  comments  on 
the  news  of  the  day.  Some  morning  we  learn  from 
the  headlines  of  our  paper  that  the  Atlantic  has  been 
crossed  by  an  airplane.  If  there  is  any  one  near  to 
whom  a  remark  can  be  made,  we  straightway  seek 
some  expression  bearing  on  the  event.  It  may  be 
only  an  exclamation;  it  may  be  an  epigram,  but  it  is 
something  pointed. 

The  comments  inspired  by  any  bit  of  news  represent 
all  angles  of  approach.  The  same  event  appears  in 
different  light  to  almost  every  observer.  The  main 
difference  between  the  casual  commentator  and  the 
veteran  paragrapher  is  that  the  latter  is  careful  to 
choose  a  "slant"  not  entirely  obvious  or  commonplace 
and  uses  great  care  as  to  form  of  phrasing. 

Several  thousand  people  read  the  story  of  a  possible 
clew  to  the  identity  of  an  anarchist  criminal.  Per- 
haps in  the  case  of  only  one  person  did  reflection  on 
the  event  take  this  form: 

One's  favorite  idea  of  the  anarchist 
is  jolted  by  the  statement  that  a  clew 
in  the  current  bomb  mystery  is  a  laun- 
dry mark  in  a  linen  collar. 

182 


PARAGRAPHS  AND  PARAGRAPHERS 

The  news  of  the  downfall  of  monarchy  in  Europe 
occasioned  universal  comment,  but  it  perhaps  occurred 
to  only  one  paragrapher  to  remark  that : 

If  they  keep  on  establishing  republics 
in  the  old  country  at  the  present  rate, 
pretty  soon  there  won't  be  any  titles  left 
except  in  American  lodge  rooms. 

When  it  was  announced  that  the  Chinese  delegates 
refused  to  sign  the  treaty  of  peace  at  Versailles,  the 
comment  of  one  paragrapher  was : 

I      Probably  no  one  could  have  read  the  I 
I  Chinese  signatures  anyway.  1 

Striking  a  Rich  Vein. — From  time  to  time,  espec- 
cially  good  subjects  for  pragraphers  come  over  the 
horizon.  Such  was  Kaiser  Wilhelm.  A  fair  sized 
book  could  be  filled  with  the  paragraphs  aimed  at  the 
last  of  German  emperors.  The  ingenuity  displayed  in 
discovering  new  points  of  attack  is  amazing.  Another 
favorite  object  for  paragraphers  was  John  Barleycorn. 
It  seemed  to  become  almost  a  game  to  see  who  could 
discover  some  new  way  of  looking  at  the  advent  of 
national  prohibition. 

There  is,  then,  a  distinct  form  of  newspaper  writing 
called  paragraphing  and  the  writing  of  such  items  calls 
for  special  aptitude. 

No  one  will  deny  that  some  writers  show  unusual 
facility  in  making  pointed  comment,  but  this  is  not  to 
say  that  a  study  of  methods  used  by  such  writers  and 
examination  of  the  characteristics  of  the  best  para- 

183 


THE  EDITORIAL 

graphs  will  not  help  any  one  to  make  a  beginning  in 
this  kind  of  writing.  Whether  or  not  one  goes  further 
with  it  will  depend,  as  in  everything  else,  on  the  re- 
sults obtained. 

Must  Have  High  Candle  Power. — Editorial  par- 
graphs  exemplify  the  extreme  of  condensation  in  edi- 
torial writing.  Brevity,  however,  is  not  their  distin- 
guishing characteristic.  A  six-line  editorial  which  is 
merely  a  plain  statement  of  fact,  for  the  purpose  of 
emphasis,  is  hardly  to  be  called  a  paragraph.  Wit  is  an 
essential  quality. 

Paragraphs  are  the  spice  element  of  the  editorial 
column.  This  is  not  saying  they  are  trivial.  Fre- 
quently they  have  flashlight  intensity  and  set  forth 
truth  with  the  instantaneous  clarity  of  a  good  cartoon. 

The  public  will  always  crowd  the  bleachers  to  watch 
the  work  of  a  pitcher-editor  who  can  put  curves  on 
his  ideas.  The  crowd  enjoys  a  sharp  in-shoot  on  a 
political  situation  that  sends  some  politican  to  the  side 
lines  or  calls  attention  to  the  low  batting  average  of 
some  weak  member  of  the  governmental  team : 

The  news  that  S,5oo  Yanks  are  still 
missing  may  be  explained  by  the  fact 
that  they  are  all  out  hunting  up  theii 
mail  or  past-due  salary. 

Every  one  enjoys  talking  to  a  man  or  woman  whose 
conversation  is  enlivened  by  cleverness.  Other  things 
being  equal,  such  a  person  wins  more  attention  and  a 
greater  following  than  the  one  who  delivers  his  opin- 
ions without  zest.    Similarly,  readers  of  the  newspaper 

184 


THE  KAMM  cm  KA*.  ■AttmOAT.  UAMTI  «   tM»- 


a^at 


!■  tfc«««d  Kwihflna; 


g^^^i- 


L^^yM^i" 


^<%J^fMffA 


^«C)BS2!S 


An    Attractive    Page    with    Carefully    Edited    Features 
AND  Special  Columns. 


185 


THE  EDITORIAL 

are  attracted  by  an  editorial  page  that  has,  here  and 
there,  a  sparkle.  Moreover,  there  is  in  most  people's 
minds  an  association  of  wit  with  wisdom.  It  seems 
incongruous  that  the  person  who  scintillates  on  the 
foibles  of  others  should  himself  exhibit  similar  fail- 
ings. Cleverness  of  thought  seems  to  imply  mental 
powers  of  X-ray  penetration.  Keen  observations  sug- 
gest sanity,  and  judicial  faculties.  And,  since  all  this 
is  true, — even  though  the  reason  for  such  a  notion  may 
be  little  more  than  the  fact  that  wit  and  wisdom  both 
begin  with  w, — it  is  safe  to  say  that  the  editorial  para- 
graph not  only  lends  an  entertaining  quality  to  the 
editorial  column,  but  increases  its  prestige. 

Editorial  Snap  Shots  Are  Useful. — The  influence 
of  editorial  paragraphs  is  one  thing  that  even  the  ex- 
perimental psychologist  would  hardly  undertake  to 
measure ;  but  it  seems  impossible  that  facts  stated  with 
the  force  that  characterizes  the  successful  paragraph 
should  fail  of  effect.  The  pithy,  the  pungent,  or  the 
laconic  statement  has  its  special  appeal,  whether  used 
by  the  admiral  going  into  battle,  the  statesman  satiriz- 
ing his  opponent,  or  the  editorial  writer.  In  a  com- 
bat of  ideas,  the  editorial  paragrapher  is  more  than  a 
mere  sniper;  he  is  one  who  puts  up  star  shells  to 
lighten  the  whole  situation ;  or  he  is  the  ace  who  pene- 
trates farthest  into  enemy  lines. 

The  Two  Varieties. — Speaking  generally,  there 
are  two  kinds  of  paragraphs,  said  the  late  Charles 
Blakesley,  of  the  Kansas  City  Star.  "The  two  kinds 
to  which  I  refer  are  those  wholly  frivolous,  having  no 
other  purpose  than  to  force  a  reluctant  smile,  and  the 

i86 


PARAGRAPHS  AND  PARAGRAPHERS 

more  serious  editorial  paragraph.  As  to  the  useful- 
ness of  the  editorial  paragraph,  there  can  be  no  doubt. 
There  is  no  excuse  or  justification  for  a  poor  editorial 
paragraph,  but  every  justification  in  the  world  for  a 
good  one.  If  a  column  editorial  or  a  sermon  can  be 
squeezed  into  less  than  fifty  words,  if  a  lesson  can  be 
taught  or  a  moral  conveyed  in  half  a  dozen  lines, 
that's  the  way  it  ought  to  be  said.  There  remain  a  few 
old-fashioned  publishers  who  believe  an  editor's  duty 
is  to  be  solemn,  and  his  next  duty  to  be  as  dry  as 
possible.  They  picture  themselves  as  Thunderers,  and 
like  to  imagine  that  their  editorial  voice  is  as  the  roar 
of  many  waters.  They  fail  to  take  into  account  that, 
in  these  busy  days,  not  one  person  in  several  dozen 
reads  a  column  editorial,  unless  it  is  double  leaded  on 
the  first  page,  or  for  some  other  exceptional  reason.  An 
editorial  paragraph,  on  the  other  hand,  can  be  read 
and  understood  at  a  glance.  If  it  is  a  good  paragraph, 
and  conveys  something  the  paper  wished  to  have  con- 
veyed, it  has  accomplished  something.  It  has  pene- 
trated where  a  column  of  stern  logic  could  not  enter. 
It  has  demonstrated  that  a  rapier  is  a  more  handy 
weapon  than  a  pile  driver." 

Best  Placing  of  Paragraphs. — In  practically  all 
editorial  columns,  pointed  paragraphs  are  welcome. 
There  are  three  ways  of  placing  them  with  relation  to 
other  materials.  In  some  papers,  paragraphs  consti- 
tute a  sort  of  mayonnaise  dressing,  poured  over  the 
top  of  the  more  substantial  portions  of  editorial  opin- 
ion ;  in  others,  they  are  the  sauce  on  which  the  larger 
bodies  of  thought  float;  in  still  others  they  are  the 

187 


THE  EDITORIAL 

mustard  between  the  dry  layers  of  the  interpretative 
sandwich.  In  other  words,  they  come  before,  or  after, 
or  between  the  longer  editorials. 

The  sandwich  method  is  preferable  because  it  breaks 
up  an  otherwise  monotonous  succession  of  long  ed- 
torials  or  of  short  paragraphs.  It  has  the  same  ad- 
vantages that  belong  to  the  lecture  dealing  with  seri- 
ous subjects  but  relieved  now  and  then  by  a  witty  re- 
mark or  a  funny  story.  It  lends  to  the  column  an 
easy-to-read  appearance. 

No  editorial  campaign  is  too  serious  a  matter  to  be 
helped  along  by  clever  paragraphs. 

I      Licking  war  savings  stamps  leaves  a  I 
I  pleasant  taste  in  the  mouth.     Try  it.      | 

Usually  the  paragraph  has  two  parts :  first,  state- 
ment of  a  fact — usually  a  bit  of  news — reduced  to  its 
lowest  terms  as  to  length;  second,  comment  on  the 
fact.  These  two  elements  come  in  no  fixed  order,  and 
are  not  necessarily  treated  in  separate  sentences. 

Points  of  Excellence. — As  a  rule,  the  excellent  para- 
graph depends  upon  the  element  of  surprise.  For  ex- 
ample, we  are  told  in  the  news  column  that  a  minister 
refused  an  increase  in  salary.  This  in  itself  is  sur- 
prising, but  the  paragrapher's  explanation  of  his  action 
is  even  more  so :  that  it  was  all  he  could  do  to  collect 
the  salary  which  he  was  already  allowed. 

The  skill  of  the  paragrapher  is  shown  in  his  ability 
to  keep  up  interest  until  the  last  word  is  said.  He 
develops  the  periodic  sentence  to  a  fine  point;  or,  re- 
curring to  baseball,  his  curves  "break"  just  right. 

i88 


PARAGRAPHS  AND  PARAGRAPHERS 

Another  way  in  which  the  paragrapher  shows  his 
skill,  is  in  leaving  something  for  the  reader  to  supply. 
The  most  delicious  paragraphs  are  those  in  which  the 
point  is  not  too  obvious.  A  diagram  with  a  para- 
graph is  an  atrocity.  Among  the  readers'  greatest 
pleasures  is  the  sense  of  discovery. 

As  examples  of  the  maintenance  of  suspense,  the 
following  may  be  given : 

It  is  really  too  bad  if  that  naturalist 
has  discovered  an  ape  that  can  talk. 
There  is  too  much  of  that  now. 

The  man  who  got  off  that  stuff  about 
how  womankind  is  advancing  by  great 
strides  had  evidently  not  seen  the  new 
hobble  skirts. 

Revenue  agents  are  already  at  work 
rounding  up  all  the  private  stills,  prob- 
ably on  the  theory  that  the  early  bird 
catches  the  "worm." 

It  is  only  necessary  to  invert  the  order  in  any  of 
these  paragraphs  to  observe  the  effect  of  anti-climax — 
they  peter  out. 

Almost  any  editorial  page  will  supply  an  example  of 
that  paragraph,  the  point  of  which  is  not  apparent  at 
the  first  rapid  reading.  This  might  be  called  the  time- 
fuse type.  Often  it  does  not  explode  until  a  moment 
or  two  after  it  has  reached  the  mark. 

We  shall  soon  see  whether  marriage 
or  drink  is  the  cause  of  the  divorce  evil. 

You  may  swallow  your  peach  stones 
now. 

189 


THE  EDITORIAL 

A  Few  Paragraph  Formulae. — Some  of  the  com- 
mon types  of  paragraphs  may  be  designated  by  more 
or  less  expressive  names  in  the  same  way  that  jokes 
may  be  classified  according  to  type  forms  and  de- 
scribed by  formulae.  The  examples  are  taken  from 
American  newspapers. 

1.  Exaggeration. — This,  according  to  one  well- 
known  student  of  humor,  is  one  of  the  three  prime 
qualities  that  cause  human  beings  to  laugh. 

The  story  is  that  the  original  owners 
traded  Manhattan  Island  for  a  bottle  of 
firewater.  If  they  had  preserved  the 
liquor  they  would  now  be  in  a  position 
to  make  a  very  advantageous  specula- 
tion in  the  same  real  estate. 

The  Siberian  railroad  is  losing  already 
$40,000,000  a  month,  but  it  may  catch 
up  with  our  speed  some  day. 

2.  Understatement. — This  is  the  second  primitive 
root  of  humor. 


There  are  moments  when  we  wonder 
if  perhaps  the  money  that  war  cost 
could  not  have  been  spent  to  better 
advantage  in  some  other  way. 

It  was  quite  a  war  while  it  lasted. 

3.     The    Incongruous. — The    third    of    the   prime 
sources  of  humor. 


The  undertaker  who  displayed  a  "sure, 
we'll  finish  the  job,"  loan  poster  in  his 
window,  had  an  eye  to  business. 

190 


PARAGRAPHS  AND  PARAGRAPHERS 

These  father-and-son  banquets  are  a 
great  improvement  on  the  conferences 
the  two  used  to  have  in  the  woodshed. 

In  place  of  rail  splitting  in  American 
politics  we  now  have  hair  splitting, 

4.    Puns. — A  favorite  form  used  with  good  effect 
when  it  is  not  too  obvious. 


The  Kaiser's  backers  are  quitting  him 
von  by  von. 

One  reason  Germany  lost  the  war 
was  because  her  government  was  so 
Krupped. 

Hereafter  political  orators  will  be 
careful  how  they  appeal  to  the  "plain 
people."  Women  are  a  part  of  the 
voting  population  now. 

5.    Metaphor. — This  satisfies  the  natural  liking  of 
everybody  for  pictures. 


A  good  many  men  who  talk  bass  at 
home  are  tenors  downtown. 

The  peace  conference  persists  in  its 
policy  of  a  closed  door  and  then  won- 
ders why  everybody  is  knocking. 


6.    Aphorism. 


"Well,"  said  Adelaid,  as  she  told  the 
saleswoman  to  charge  it,  "it  doesn't 
make  any  difference  how  grossly  or  out- 
rageously you  flatter  a  man;  it  all 
sticks." 

If  nations  were  as  deliberate  in  de- 
ciding on  war  as  they  are  in  agreeing 
on  peace,  there  would  be  no  war. 

191 


THE  EDITORIAL 

7.    Modified  Quotation. — A  pharaphrased  or  paro- 
died quotation  often  fits  well  into  a  situation. 


To  the  victors  belong  the  broils. 

See  America  thirst. 

These  are  the  times  that  dry  men's 
souls. 

There,  little  brewery,  don't  you  cry, 
you'll  grind  sausages  by  and  by. 

We  shall  beat  our  swords  into  plow- 
shares, and  our  corkscrews  into  button- 
hooks. 


Or,  another  phrased  it, 


And  the  nations  shall  beat  their 
swords  into  plowshares,  and  their  ver- 
sion of  the  war  into .  the  heads  of 
children. 


Or,  according  to  a  third. 

After  we  have  beaten  our  swords  into 
plowshares,  the  next  thing  will  be  to 
straighten  out  our  cork-screws  into  hat- 
pins. 

8.    Homily. — Moral  truth  has  its  place  in  the  para- 
graph column. 


"Better  boys,  better  men,"  is  the  fit- 
ting slogan  for  boy  scout  week,  also 
it  can  be  turned  around. 

Better  leave  the  sugar  in  the  bowl 
than  in  the  bottom  of  the  cup. 

192 


PARAGRAPHS  AND  PARAGRAPHERS 

9.  Distorted  Proverbs. — This  includes  also  the  mis- 
application of  a  proverb,  introducing  an  element  of 
incongruity. 

Of  course  a  cat  may  look  at  a  king, 
but  it  will  have  to  hurry. 

When  Europe  plans  to  start  some- 
thing hereafter,  it  will  "see  America 
first." 

The  dough  boy  is  worthy  of  his 
dough. 

Strange  how  the  advocates  of  polyg- 
amy overlooked  the  scripture,  "no  man 
can  serve  two  masters." 

10.  Ironical  Explanation. — A  willful  misinterpreta- 
tion of  meaning. 

Just  what  was  the  matter  with  the 
last  Congress  has  puzzled  the  nation, 
but  the  fact  that  a  majority  looked  on 
tooth  paste  as  a  luxury  ought  to  throw 
some  light  on  the  subject. 

U.  S.  A.  means  U.  Stay  Arid. 

One  reason  why  Lenine  dreads  Amer- 
ica is  because  he  remembers  how 
promptly  we  caught  and  hanged  Villa. 

A  statesman  is  a  politician  you  agree 
with. 

Speechless  banquets  are  becoming 
quite  the  thing  these  days.  Probably 
it's  the  price  of  food  that  makes  them 
speechless. 

11.  Paradox. — Affording  the  keen  pleasure  of  dis- 
covering truth  in  an  apparent  contradiction. 

193 


THE  EDITORIAL 

If  there's  one  thing  that  hurts  more 
than  having  to  pay  an  income  tax,  it 
is  not  having  to  pay  an  income  tax. 

The  trouble  with  the  Irish  question 
is  that  too  many  of  the  Irish  people 
want  what  too  many  of  the  Irish  people 
don't  want. 

In  Venezuela,  the  American  dollar  is 
at  a  discount  of  twenty  per  cent.  Here 
at  home,  it  is  at  a  discount  of  about 
fifty  per  cent. 

12.  Innuendo. — Producing  its  effect  by  a  sly  sug- 
gestion or  hint. 

With  the  coming  of  suffrage,  women 
will  be  eligible  to  the  diplomatic  corps 
and  an  end  will  be  automatically  made 
to  the  objectionable  secret  diplomacy. 

If  Mexico  could  only  be  made  safe, 
it  might  become  a  great  winter  resort 
for  Americans.  And  then  the  Mexican 
bandits   could   become   hotel  keepers. 

13.  Human  Nature. — The  paragraph  that  "shows 
us  up"  as  we  are. 

The  reason  a  woman  doesn't  enjoy 
her  vacation  is  that  she's  afraid  she 
left  the  gas  burning  under  the  hot- 
water  tank. 

The  owner  of  the  back  lot  that  is 
filled  with  tin  cans,  broken  crockery  and 
ash  heaps,  is  sure  to  be  found  some- 
where discussing  the  orderly  adjustment 
of  international  affairs. 

194 


PARAGRAPHS  AND  PARAGRAPHERS 

Unless  somebody  is  killed,  the  acci- 
dent is  generally  unsatisfactory  to  the 
reading  public. 

If  human  nature  would  only  work 
as  hard  for  pay  as  for  more  pay! 

14.    Satire  at  Institutions  and  Conventions. — 


What  perfectly  lovely  husbands  those 
returning  soldiers  who  have  learned  to 
obey  orders  are  going  to  make. 

Before  these  tight  skirts  came  in,  we 
used  to  send  missionaries  to  China  to 
see  that  the  feet  of  the  little  Chinese 
girls  were  unbound  so  they  could  walk. 

The  next  president  is  rapidly  increas- 
ing in  numbers. 


15.    Isolated  Syllable. — 

I      There    is    nearly    as    much 
I  "land"  in  Ireland  these  days. 


16.     Epigram. 


Nothing   finer   h^s   come   out   of   the  \ 
war  than  this  line  from  an  epitaph  in  a 
British  graveyard  in  France :    "For  your 
to-morrow  they  gave  their  to-day." 


17.    Historical  Alltision.- 


Doubtless  there  were  hard-heads  who 
told  old  Moses  that  the  ten  command- 
ments were  a  violation  of  rights  and 
were  too  ideal  for  a  practical  world, 
anyway. 

195 


THE  EDITORIAL 


1 8.     Oddities, 


Hostilities  of  the  world  war  ceased 
at  the  eleventh  hour  of  the  eleventh  day 
of  the  eleventh  month  of  the  year. 


19.    Peculiar  Word. — 


The  Montenegro  congress  is  called 
the  Skupshtaine.  Even  in  a  free  coun- 
try like  ours,  nobody  has  ever  had  the 
nerve  to  call  our  Congress  anything 
like  that. 


20.     Literary  Allusion. — 


The  advocates  of  the  League  say 
wittily  that  even  if  it's  only  half  a 
league,  it's  half  a  league  onward,  to 
which  the  opponents  naturally  contend 
that  half  a  league  is  that  much  too 
much  if  it's  into  the  jaws  of  death, 
into  the  mouth  of.  hell. 


21.  Frankenstein. — An  imaginary  type-character 
through  whom  the  editor  impresses  characteristic  sen- 
timents. Typical  names  for  these  characters,  some  of 
whom  persist  throughout  many  years,  are  Old  Bill 
Shipman,  Professor  Silas  Pewter,  Si  Chestnut,  Squire 
Thrifty,  Judge  Pettingill,  Hon.  Abner  Handy. 


Drake  Watson  says  if  you  have  killed 
a  bear,  you  are  apt  to  talk  too  much 
about  it. 

"I  like  practical  jokes,"  says  Peter 
Doubt,  "and  I  think  the  best  one  was 
invented  by  the  man  who  introduced 
lawn-mowers." 

196 


PARAGRAPHS  AND  PARAGRAPHERS 


The  Village  Deacon  says,  "When  I  go 
into  a  store  to  buy  anything,  I  always 
try  to  get  the  poorest  clerk  in  the  place 
to  wait  on  me.  A  clever  clerk  always 
sells  me  something  I  don't  want." 


22.     Headline  Form. 


Gravediggers  on  Strike. — Headline. 

The  g.  d's.  are  on  a  strike  for  higher 
wages,  which  means  that  the  cost  of 
dying  is  going  up  with  the  cost  of  living. 
Now,  what  zvill  become  of  the  ultimate 
consumer  ? 


Of  course,  the  various  forms  of  witty  paragraph  are 
not  usually  found  in  an  unmixed  state.  Sometimes  it 
seems  that  there  are  almost  as  many  varieties  as  there 
are  paragraphs. 

The  Less  Pointed  Styles. — i.  In  the  small  new^s- 
paper  and  less  frequently  in  the  larger  one,  appears 
the  paragraph  which  has  for  its  only  purpose  the  plac- 
ing of  emphasis  on  some  news  event. 


With  his  machine  sailing  upside 
down,  Alcock  stuck  to  it  like  his  cele- 
brated namesake,  the  porous  plaster. 

An  English  dirigible  balloon  has  just 
crossed  the  Atlantic  in  safety  and  has 
started  on  its  return  trip.  Thus  another 
agency  has  been  added  to  the  airship, 
submarine,  cable,  wireless  and  steam- 
ship in  the  successful  feat  of  bridging 
the  Atlantic,  yet  there  are  people  who 
still  talk  seriously  of  our  isolated  posi- 
tion. 


2.    The  small  paper  also  makes  much  use  of  per- 
sonal paragraphs.    The  editor  is  well  known  to  most 

197 


THE  EDITORIAL 

of  his  readers,  and  feels  no  hesitancy  in  speaking  to 
them  about  the  affairs  of  his  own  breakfast  table. 

The  senior  editor  received  a  compli- 
ment the  other  day.  It  was  in  a  grocery. 
The  clerk  asked  him  if  he  wanted  it 
charged. 

3.  Occasionally  the  editor  of  the  country  news- 
paper develops  a  faculty  for  home  made  philosophy. 

We  have  watched  the  thing  a  long 
time  and  have  about  come  to  the  con- 
clusion that  the  best  recipe  for  keeping 
in  the  straight  and  narrow  path  is  good 
old-fashioned  hard  work. 

There  is  always  a  wiser  and  sadder 
bunch  of  men  that  come  out  of  the 
wheat  field  than  when  they  went  in, 
but  then  that  is  true  in  every  vocation 
in  life. 

4.  The  hortatory  paragraph  is  a  common  form. 

I     Boy  scout  week !     Be  a  good  scout  I 
I  and  help  the  boy  scouts.  I 

5.  Most  common  of  all  is  the  paragraph  which  is 
nothing  more  than  an  abbreviated  editorial. 

The  mulberry  tree  stands  convicted 
as  a  breeder  of  flies.  It  may  have  its 
place,  but  that  place  is  not  over  homes 
and  sidewalks. 

The  unreasonably  high  prices  prevail- 
ing are  demoralizing  the  people.  The 
high  cost  of  living  is  the  greatest  evil 
inflicted  upon  the  people  in  the  last 
decade. 

198 


PARAGRAPHS  AND  PARAGRAPHERS 

As  has  been  said,  these  are  really  not  pointed  para- 
graphs at  all,  but  they  seem  to  serve  a  useful  purpose. 

The  Sort  that  Fails  to  Cheer. — It  would  be  pos- 
sible, though  hardly  profitable,  to  devote  considerable 
space  to  the  useless  paragraph. 

1.  The  most  common  type  is  the  statement  of  the 
obvious. 

People  who  jeer  at  the  early  ineffi- 
ciency of  airplane  post  transportation 
seem  to  forget  that  there  was  a  time 
when  the  pony  express  was  more  relia- 
ble than   the   steam-propelled  train. 

For  the  first  time  in  history,  the 
United  States  celebrated  Independence 
Day  without  the  aid  of  old  John  B. 
That  is,  the  saloons  were  not  selling 
strong  drinks. 

2.  Another  space  waster  is  the  platitude. 

Almost  any  one  is  willing  to  go  out 
and  boss  a  job,  but  it  is  sometimes 
pretty  hard  to  find  a  fellow  who  will 
do  the  heavy  work. 

3.  A  rather  unfortunate,  though  at  the  same  time 
entertaining,  paragraph  is  the  one  for  which  the 
writer's  supply  of  metaphors  exceeds  the  demand. 

China  refused  to  sign  —  and  why 
should  she?  The  English  Bull  had 
washed  a  lot  of  dishes  in  her  closet  and 
left  Japan  to  mend  them. 

Testimony  by  Paragraphers. — When  asked  to 
explain  how  they  do  their  work,  paragraphers  usually 
deny  having  anything  they  could  call  technique.     All 

199 


THE  EDITORIAL 

of  them  admit  the  utility  of  certain  mental  endow- 
ments, and  attainments  and  acquired  habits  of  think- 
ing.   To  quote  again  from  Mr.  Blakesley : 

Writing  paragraphs  gets  to  be  a  habit.  Your  para- 
grapher  thinks  in  paragraphs,  even  as  experienced  tele- 
graph editors  think  in  jerky  headlines.  Indeed,  I  believe 
writing  headlines  is  the  best  training  a  paragrapher  could 
have.  Both  are  required  to  arrive  at  the  essence  of  a 
story  in  a  single  swoop  and  tell  it  in  a  few  words.  You 
will  find  that  this  habit  has  its  drawbacks.  A  man  who 
instinctively  does  his  thinking  in  paragraphs  thinks  dis- 
connectedly. His  capacity  to  think  in  a  straight  line 
suffers  from  disuse.  When  he  is  called  upon  to  write 
something  of  some  length  he  is  at  a  disadvantage,  and 
the  "piece"  is  likely  to  be  disjointed. 

In  answer  to  a  correspondent,  J.  E.  House,  of  the 
Philadelphia  Public  Ledger,  outlined  a  "course"  for 
paragraphers : 

As  a  three-lesson  course  in  epigram  writing  we  sub- 
mit the  following: 

First  lesson — Catch  and  clean  your  rabbit. 

Second  lesson — Baste  with  a  sauce  of  salt,  pepper, 
vinegar,  sage,  cloves,  myrrh  and  orris  root. 

Third  lesson — Broil  quickly  over  a  hot  fire. 

Summary  As  to  How  It  Is  Done. — From  such  tes- 
timony as  this,  and  from  a  careful  analysis  of  para- 
graphs, it  appears  that  some  of  the  useful  rules  of 
procedure,  and  helpful  habits  of  thinking,  may  be 
phrased  as  follows: 

200 


^/ 


PARAGRAPHS  AND  PARAGRAPHERS 

1.  Remember  that  everything  that  happens  may  be 
associated  in  some  way  with  almost  everything  else 
that  happens.  The  psychological  law  of  association  is 
supreme  in  the  paragrapher's  realm. 

For  example,  the  paragrapher  reads  in  the  head- 
lines that  anarchists  have  again  been  active  in  New 
York,  By  simple  association,  the  word  anarchist  sug- 
gests bombs,  or  foreigners,  or  mobs,  or  red  flags.  Each 
of  these  associations  calls  up  a  second  association. 
Finally  the  paragrapher  finds  what  he  is  looking  for : 

I      Let  us  confine  the  waving  of  the  red  I 
1  flag  to  our  railroad   crossings.  | 

Or,  perhaps,  the  word  "red"  calls  up  its  associations 
and  he  writes  the  following: 

We  whipped  the  redskins  in  order  to 
gain  this  country;  we  whipped  the  red- 
coats in  order  to  gain  our  independ- 
ence ;  and  we  are  not  going  to  allow 
the  reds  to  mar  what  we  have  gained. 

The  paragrapher  reads  the  boasts  of  a  German 
admiral.  His  habit  of  association  enables  him  to 
evolve : 

German  naval  officers  maintain  that 
their  fleet  was  never  defeated.  Neither 
was  the  Chinese  fleet. 

Associations  based  on  sound  of  words  leads  to  the 
pun  more  often  than  any  other  type. 

2.  Read  headlines  in  newspapers  with  an  eye  alert 
for  the  unusual  and  the  ludicrous.    Then,  through  as- 

20 1 


THE  EDITORIAL 

sociation,  bring  this  element  into  incongruous  or  illum- 
inating relations  with  some  other  fact. 

3.  The  paragrapher  must  never  cease  studying 
people.  The  more  he  knows  about  them,  the  more 
hooks  he  will  have  available  on  which  to  hang  inter- 
pretative comment.  The  most  common  things  that 
people  do  become  interesting  when  done  in  an  ab- 
normal manner.  For  example,  all  human  beings  are 
endowed  with  instincts.  One  of  the  most  noticeable  is 
the  acquisitive.  The  normal  exercise  of  it  is  not 
interesting,  but  when  the  person  manifests  the 
acquisitive  to  an  abnormal  degree,  or  when,  on  the 
other  hand,  he  manifests  a  lack  of  it,  he  furnishes 
interesting  material  to  the  commentator  on  human 
nature.  The  same  thing  is  true  in  respect  to  other 
instincts  such  as  the  constructive  instinct,  the  hunting 
instinct,  the  parental  instinct. 

4.  It  will  be  of  advantage  to  the  paragrapher  to 
understand  how  to  make  use  of  a  book  of  quotations. 
Memory  may  be  relied  upon  sometimes  to  supply  the 
quotations  that  fit  some  current  event,  or  that  may 
be  modified,  or  paraphrased,  so  as  to  fit  it.  But  the 
deliberate  search  through  a  book  of  quotations  for 
material  useful  in  paragraphing  almost  always  has  its 
reward. 

5.  The  paragrapher  should  early  learn  to  discard 
the  idea  that  humor  depends  for  its  effectiveness  upon 
shocking  some  one's  sensibilities — even  a  prude's. 
Good  taste  in  paragraphing  is  indispensable  to  retain- 
ing the  respect  of  the  great  majority  of  readers.  It  is  a 
case  of  bad  judgment  when  a  newspaper  writer  con- 

202 


PARAGRAPHS  AND  PARAGRAPHERS 

eludes  that  indelicate  witticism  which  "goes  well"  in  a 
burlesque  show  will  also  go  well  in  the  editorial 
column.  Occasionally  a  paragrapher  is  found  who 
eliminates  bad  taste  from  his  writing  only  after  a  slow 
process  of  education  at  the  hands  of  the  community. 
This  is  an  expensive  method  of  handling  such  a  case. 
It  costs  the  community  too  heavily.  There  are  much 
quicker  and  more  effective  methods. 

6.  Most  paragraphers  agree  that  "stingers"  should 
be  used  sparingly  and  only  when  the  occasion  fully 
warrants.  Injudicious  ridicule  is  too  likely  to  create 
sympathy,  even  for  an  evil  man. 

7.  Flippancy  or  trivialities  are  not  to  be  employed 
just  to  display  wit.  It  is  unfortunate  if  the  paragrapher 
creates  the  impression  that  his  sole  purpose  is  to 
entertain.  Likewise  it  is  necessary  to  preserve  a 
reasonable  degree  of  consistency  in  point  of  view  on 
any  question  which  is  taken  up  repeatedly.  An  editor 
who  seems  to  care  very  little  what  he  says,  so  long  as  it 
is  clever,  can  have  little  influence. 

8.  The  ideal  aimed  at  should  be  that  of  producing 
paragraphs  which  are  so  well  put  that  they  will  be 
worth  reading  twice,  and  so  well  justified  that  the 
paragrapher  may  be  thought  to  be  following  Thack- 
eray's admonition  as  his  guiding  star:  "Ah,  ye  knights 
of  the  pen!  May  honor  be  your  shield  and  truth  tip 
your  lances !  Be  gentle  to  all  gentle  people.  Be  modest 
to  women.  Be  tender  to  children.  And  as  for  the 
Ogre  Humbug,  out  sword  and  have  at  him." 

The  One  Who  Runs  a  Column. — The  columnist 
is  a  paragrapher  who  has  a  department  all  his  own, 

203 


liiiliiiiiiliirpi'il 


'I  ' 


o 


o 

D 

a 


o 

n 


204 


PARAGRAPHS  AND  PARAGRAPHERS 

usually  on  the  editorial  page.    More  than  half  of  our 
larger  city  papers  have  such  writers  on  their  staffs. 

The  columns  bear  all  manner  of  spicy  titles  sug- 
gestive of  their  highly  flavored  content.  The  Hornet's 
Nest,  Shooting  Stars,  In  Lighter  Vein,  Uilder  the 
Spot  Lights,  A  Line  o'  Type  or  Two,  The  Conning 
Tower,  Bits  of  By-Play,  Twilight  Thinks,  We'll  Say 
So,  Kansas  Notes,  On  the  Spur  of  the  Moment,  On 
Second  Thought,  By  the  Way,  The  Globe  Trotter, 
Short  Shavings,  Such  Is  Life,  are  representative 
names. 

Feature  columns  are  usually  of  so  miscellaneous  a 
character  as  almost  to  beggar  description.  Pointed 
paragraphs  of  all  varieties,  anecdotes,  light  verse,  prose 
poems,  conundrums,  reader  contests,  philosophy,  com- 
munications from  readers,  exchange  items  with  or 
without  comment,  miniature  drawings — these  are  some 
of  the  ingredients  that  compose  the  peppery  hodge- 
podge which  the  columnist  serves  day  after  day. 

The  columnist's  job  is  not  as  easy  as  it  looks.  Few 
columns  are  so  bad  but  that  it  may  be  said  that  writing 
them  is  much  harder  than  reading  them.  The  daily 
necessity  of  producing  an  entertaining  column,  long 
after  the  novelty  of  the  proceeding  has  worn  off, 
becomes  as  much  of  a  burden  with  most  writers  as  any 
other  monotonous  work.  Few  can  do  it  successfully. 
Some  one  has  said  that  the  columnist  is  the  radium  of 
journalism. 

J.  E.  House  thus  comments  on  the  trials  of  a  column 
"hound": 

205 


THE  EDITORIAL 


THOUGHTS  ON  WRITING  A 
COLUMN 

Writing  a  column  is  a  fine  job.  It 
is  composed  in  about  equal  parts  of 
labor,  work  and  worry.  A  column 
hound  toils  and  slaves  to  get  out  his 
column  and  then  worries  his  head  oflF 
for  fear  he'll  go  stale  and  lose  his  job. 
All  that  is  expected  of  a  column  hound 
is  that  he  be  amusing  or  clever  in 
twenty-five  or  thirty  diflFerent  ways 
every  day.  A  vaudeville  performer  can 
go  out  with  one  act  and  get  it  booked 
for  forty  weeks  solid.  The  next  year 
he  can  go  over  the  same  circuit  with 
the  same  act.  The  people  forget  what 
he  said  last  year  and  laugh  their  heads 
oflF  at  his  stuff.  So  long  as  he  busts 
somebody  over  the  head  with  some- 
thing or  sticks  his  finger  in  somebody's 
eye  the  audience  will  howl  with  laugh- 
ter. It  doesn't  make  any  difference  how 
many  times  the  audience  has  seen  him 
do  it.  Busting  somebody  over  the  head 
is   laughter's   principal   accessory. 

A  column  hound  must  have  a  new  act 
every  day.  If  he  busts  anybody  over 
the  head  or  jabs  his  finger  in  anybody's 
eye  he  gets  the  paper  into  trouble.  Most 
anything  is  funny  on  the  stage.  Very 
few  things  are  funny  in  print.  Cold 
print  reveals  a  man  at  about  lifesi::e. 
If  you  don't  believe  it  go  out  and  listen 
to  a  speech  by  your  favorite  rabble- 
rouser  and  then  try  to  read  it  in  cold 
print.  One  trouble  with  a  column 
hound  is  that  when  the  stuff  doesn't 
flow  freely  he  becomes  desperate  and 
tries  to  force  it.  The  saddest  thing 
revealed  upon  the  printed  page  is  the 
forced  witticism  or  the  forced  wallop. 

Nearly  every  column  hound  suffers 
periodic  attacks  of  a  disease  scientifi- 
cally known  as  contraction  of  the  bean. 

206 


PARAGRAPHS  AND  PARAGRAPHERS 


During  these  attacks  the  bean  dwindles 
to  the  size  of  a  half-grown  walnut,  its 
formation  takes  on  the  quality  of  lime- 
stone and  becomes  impregnable  to  sug- 
gestion or  idea.  To  a  journeyman 
column  hound  the  attacks  come  two  or 
three  times  a  year.  They  run  their 
course  in  from  three  days  to  three  weeks. 
The  period  is  one  of  acute  suffering, 
the  suffering  being  divided  into  two 
parts.  The  first  spasm  comes  during 
his  working  hours  when  his  attempts 
to  project  quip  and  whim-wham  pro- 
mote the  keenest  physical  discomfort. 
The  second  spasm  comes  during  the 
night  and  keeps  him  awake  for  hours, 
the  while  he  blushes  in  shame  and  hu- 
miliation for  the  stuff  he  perpetrated 
during  the  day.  We  have  been  a 
column  hound  for  seventeen  or  eighteen 
years.  We  figure  that  during  that  per- 
iod we  have  annually  perspired  a  hun- 
dred barrels  of  blood,  such  perspiration 
being  inspired  by  a  keen  sense  of  our 
own  futility. 


The  columnist,  however,  is  well  paid  and  in  some 
cases  enjoys  other  rewards,  such  as  a  state,  or  even 
national,  reputation.  In  the  majority  of  cases,  the 
name  of  the  writer  either  appears  at  the  head  of  the 
column  or  is  concealed  only  by  a  thin  veil  of  anonymity. 
Sometimes  one  of  these  feature  editorial  writers 
enjoys  obtruding  his  own  personality  into  the  column 
to  the  point  of  ghastly  egotism,  in  a  manner,  however, 
which  is  hugely  entertaining. 

"Writing  paragraphs,"  declares  Charles  Blakesley, 
"is  far  from  being  an  ideal  job,  yet  a  young  news- 
paper man,  if  he  is  disposed  to  specialize  in  some 
branch  of  the  work,  might  do  worse  than  cultivate  his 

207 


THE  EDITORIAL 

gifts  in  this  direction.  You  will  encounter  days  when 
your  intellectual  faculties  balk  like  a  gasoline  engine, 
and  still  you  are  expected  to  turn  out  your  mirth- 
provoking  quota.  At  such  times  you  may  wish  you  had 
gone  in  for  a  business  career,  realizing  that  by  now 
you  might  be  prominently  identified  with  the  delivery 
department  of  one  of  our  foremost  steam  laundries. 
Nevertheless,  the  paragrapher  has  a  little  niche  all 
his  own.  Others  on  the  paper  receive  greater  rewards 
and  greater  recognition,  but  they  also  have  greater 
responsibilities  to  fill  their  days  with  vexation  and  keep 
them  awake  nights.  The  paragrapher  is  out  of  the 
everlasting  rough-and-tumble  scrimmage  of  the  news 
department.  As  long  as  his  work  is  satisfactory,  he  is 
usually  free  to  write  what  he  pleases,  and  is  subjected 
to  fewer  annoyances  than  any  man  on  the  paper.  He 
is  haunted  by  no  fears  of  a  promotion." 

Aims  and  Methods. — The  controlling  purpose  of 
the  column  is  entertainment.  C.  H.  Thompson  of  the 
Kansas  City  Star,  puts  it  this  way : 

To  establish,  if  possible,  a  human  relation  between 
the  paper  and  its  readers;  to  sharpen  the  dull  items  of 
news,  and  dull  those  subjects  which  pierce  and  lacerate 
the  human  heart;  to  lighten  the  burdens  of  the  reader  by 
minimizing,  or  in  other  cases,  emphasizing,  the  burdens 
of  others;  to  interpret;  occasionally  to  instruct;  and  never 
to  bore — there  are  no  lengths  of  absurdity  to  which  he 
will  not  go  to  avoid  being  dull 

And  as  to  more  serious  purposes:  Tell  something  the 
reader  already  knows,  but  has  half  forgotten,  or  come  to 
regard  as  an  experience  peculiar  to  himself.  This  tends 
to  show  him  that  his  lot  isn't  much  different  from  that  of 

208 


PARAGRAPHS  AND  PARAGRAPHERS 

others.  If  a  columnist  can  succeed  in  making  his  readers 
realize  that  we  are  all  about  the  same  kind  of  folks,  it 
ought  to  make  them  more  tolerant  and  less  selfish,  and 
therefore  happier. 

Don  Marquis,  of  the  New  York  Sun,  embodies  his 
ideah  in  the  following  "prayer" : 

I  pray  thee,  make  my  colyum  read, 
And  give  me  thus  my  daily  bread. 
Endow  me,  if  thou  grant  me  wit. 
Likewise  with  sense  to  mellow  it. 
Save  me  from  feeling  so  much  hate 
My  food  will  not  assimilate. 
Open  my  eyes  that  I  may  see 
Thy  world  with  more  of  charity, 
And  lesson  me  in  good  intents 
And  make  me  friend  of  innocence. 
Make  me   (sometimes,  at  least)   discreet; 
Help  me  to  hide  my  self-conceit. 
And  give  me  courage  now  and  then 
To  be  as  dull  as  are  most  men. 
And  give  me  readers  quick  to  see 
When  I  am  satirizing  Me. 

Sources  of  Materials. — For  materials,  the  col- 
umnist goes  to  the  same  sources  as  the  editorial  para- 
grapher:  "I  get  suggestions  from  newspapers  and 
magazines  and  the  people  about  me,"  explains  one 
writer.  "These  accumulate  in  the  subconscious  mind 
and  sometimes  lie  there  unused  for  months."  Another 
writer  says :  "I  sit  at  my  typewriter  and  wait  for  an 
idea.  You  must  merely  go  on  living  and  if  it  is  in  you, 

209 


THE  EDITORIAL 

it  will  come  out."  Or  another,  "Go  everywhere  for 
material.  There  are  fields,  of  course,  that  the  columnist 
learns  to  avoid  from  having  been  bruised  on  previous 
invasions.  He  learns  to  choose  according  to  his  tastes. 
It  is  not  hard.  He  should  learn  the  value  of  chronic 
good  nature,  stern  fairness,  a  sense  of  kindly  humor 
rather  than  of  the  ridiculous,  a  terse  style,  and  uncom- 
promising loyalty  to  the  newspaper." 

A  rich  and  almost  exclusive  source  of  materials  for 
the  columnist  is  the  public  itself.  Baiting  the  public 
is  one  of  his  favorite  games.  "A  paragraph  that  antag- 
onizes is  as  much  to  be  desired  as  one  that  pleases," 
testifies  one  writer.  Another  writer,  however,  reports 
that,  "There  is  no  sure  way  of  stimulating  contri- 
butions. One  happens  upon  an  idea  which  draws 
response  from  the  public,  but  may  be  unable  to  get 
results  by  the  use  of  a  provocative  that  seems  much 
more  promising." 

On  this  point,  Mr.  House  dilates,  in  true  paragraphic 
tone  as  follows : 

Average  Wife,  who  contributes  an  occasional  insouciant 
note  to  the  column,  has  written  in  to  express  her  free  and 
untrammeled  opinion  of  the  gent  who  grinds  it  out:  "You 
are,"  writes  Average  Wife,  "too  soured,  narrow  and  biased 
to  be  just  and  fair.  You  see  everything  from  one  point 
of  view  only — your  own.  No  wonder  your  evenings  at 
home  are  rare  and  infrequent.  A  happy  deliverance  to 
the  woman  who  bears  your  name.  If  she  has  not  yet 
reached  Reno  in  her  western  wanderings,  she  will  soon." 
.  .  .  We  fear  Average  Wife  has  failed  to  comprehend 
one  of  the  smartest  tricks  of  this  trade.    Since  our  dis- 

2IO 


PARAGRAPHS  AND  PARAGRAPHERS 

position  is  to  play  all  cards  face  up  on  the  table,  we  don't 
mind  revealing  it.  No  male  person  can  successfully,  for 
any  considerable  period,  challenge  the  attention  and  hold 
the  interest  of  femininity  unless  he  is  able  to  annoy  and 
exasperate  it.  .  .  .  We  once  held  a  clientele  of  annoyed, 
exasperated,  indignant  and  fluttering  women  in  firm  leash 
for  more  than  fifteen  years  by  the  exercise  of  that  simple 
little  trick.  .  .  .  The  paragraph  about  woman  is  one  of 
the  most  valued  in  the  repertoire  of  the  column  hound. 
It  is  susceptible  to  more  than  a  million  variations  and  can 
be  exploited  with  or  without  reverse  English.  It  always 
contains  a  grain  of  truth  and  seldom  fails  to  take  an 
encore. 

Columnists  receive  considerable  counsel  from  their 
readers :  "Most  of  it  is  not  kind,  but  it  is  sincere  and 
the  criticisms  are  usually  just." 

The  publisher  does  not  always  consider  seriously 
the  opinions  expressed  in  a  feature  column.  He  may 
even  ignore  divergence  of  these  opinions  from  the 
policies  of  the  paper.  A  clever  column  is  a  circulation 
builder  and  for  that  reason,  if  for  no  other,  it  is  fairly 
sure  of  the  publisher's  appreciation. 


CHAPTER  IX 
TYPOGRAPHICAL  APPEARANCE 

Of  the  requirements  that  an  editorial  should  be  seen, 
read,  believed,  and  acted  upon,  the  first  and  second  are, 
to  some  extent,  matters  of  typography. 

At  the  extreme  of  conservatism  is  the  newspaper 
which  considers  it  undignified  and  cheap  to  use  any  but 
conventional  styles  of  type  and  make-up,  maintaining 
that  the  thoughtful  reader  does  not  need  to  have  his 
reading  made  easy  or  attractive,  and  that,  as  for  the 
other  kind  of  reader,  it  is  willing  to  take  whatever 
chances  are  necessary  rather  than  to  turn  handsprings 
in  order  to  attract  him. 

At  the  extreme  of  sensationalism,  is  the  editorial 
column,  perhaps  twice  as  wide  as  the  news  columns — 
perhaps  of  varying  widths  in  successive  issues — set  in 
type  larger  and  sometimes  bolder  than  the  type  used 
for  the  main  body  of  the  paper.  News  headings  fre- 
quently worthy  to  be  called  scare  heads  are  put  over 
editorial  matter,  decorative  borders^  initial  letters,  and, 
sometimes,  small  illustrations  set  in  from  the  side, 
enhance  the  attention  arresting  quality  of  the  column. 
It  appears  sometimes  as  if  the  editorials  had  been  set 
in  the  ad.  alley.  The  word  "restraint"  is  not  found  in 
the  lexicon  of  a  paper  of  this  type. 

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TYPOGRAPHICAL  APPEARANCE 

Shaking  One's  Fist  in  Type. — Lord  Fisher  of 
Kilverstone,  the  "father"  of  the  modern  EngHsh  navy 
and  First  Lord  of  the  Admiralty  during  the  World 
War,  once  bewailed  the  fact  that  it  is  hard  to  shake 
one's  fist  in  type: 

The  man  who  reads  this  in  his  armchair  would  take 
it  all  quite  differently  if  I  could  walk  up  and  down  in 
front  of  him  and  shake  my  fist  in  his  face.  I  tried  once, 
so  as  to  make  the  dead  print  more  lifelike,  using  different 
kinds  of  type — ^big  Roman  block  letters  for  the  "fist- 
shaking,"  large  italics  for  the  cajoling,  small  italics  for 
the  facts  and  the  ordinary  print  for  the  fool.  The  printer's 
price  was  ruinous  and  the  effect  ludicrous.  But  I  made 
this  compromise  and  he  agreed  to  it:  whenever  the  fol- 
lowing words  occurred  they  were  to  be  printed  in  large 
capitals:  "Fool,"  "Ass,"  "Congenital  Idiot." 

Editors  need  to  realize  that  the  effort  to  attract 
attention  may  be  overdone,  and  that,  even  if  a  few 
additional  readers  are  attracted  to  the  page,  the  price 
paid  for  them  in  loss  of  prestige  in  the  eyes  of  other 
readers  is  too  great. 

The  Editorial  Heading. — In  the  opinion  of  the 
writer,  the  limitations  of  the  one-line  editorial  heading, 
one  column  wide,  are  too  severe.  Form  should  not  be 
allowed  to  tyrannize  over  matter.  One  word  may  be 
more  effective  than  ten,  in  which  case  use  only  one. 
On  the  other  hand,  three  lines  may  be  necessary  to 
show  why  the  editorial  is  worthy  of  a  reading.  For 
such  cases  the  style  sheet  should  provide  a  three-line 
heading.    The  popular  remark  that  "you  can't  believe 

213 


THE  EDITORIAL 

what  you  read  in  the  newspapers"  is  to  be  charged 
largely  to  the  absurdities  in  headline  writing  for  news 
stories.  Statements  which  are  properly  guarded  in  the 
story  appear  without  qualification  in  the  heads.  There 
is  no  room  for  qualifications.  The  rapid  reader  gets 
impressions  from  the  headings  which  the  next  day's 
news  shows  were  incorrect.  He  draws  the  natural  con- 
clusions as  to  the  paper's  credibility.  Let  it  be  urged 
that  in  editorial  heads,  at  least,  the  rights  of  the 
message  be  respected.  The  heading  is  the  show  card 
for  the  material  that  it  advertises.  It  ought  to  be 
attractive  and  compelling.  If  a  two-deck  head  will 
5erve  best,  let  it  be  used,  with  due  regard,  of  course, 
for  the  necessity  of  maintaining  a  characteristic  ap- 
pearance of  editorial  matter  distinguishing  it  sharply 
from  news.  The  principles  of  typographical  display 
are  wholly  pragmatic. 

The  Best  Style  a  Matter  of  Taste. — Questions  as 
to  what  are  the  most  appealing  typographical  styles 
for  different  classes  of  readers,  and  as  to  the  extent 
to  which  readers'  tastes  can  be  educated,  and  as  to  the 
amount  of  compromise  the  editor  can  afford  to  make 
Avith  his  own  typographical  standards,  will  hardly 
receive  the  same  answers  in  any  two  newspaper  fields. 
Arguments  can  always  be  brought  forward  for  and 
against  any  proposed  style.  It  is  probably  enough  to 
say  in  this  connection  that  experiments  at  changing  the 
typographical  appearance  of  the  editorial  columns  are 
a  good  thing,  provided  means  are  taken  to  find  out' 
how  readers  are  affected  by  innovations.  This  is  more 
difficult  than  it  sounds  and,  at  best,  the  editor  will 

214 


TYPOGRAPHICAL  APPEARANCE 

remain  in  some  doubt  as  to  whether  his  thoughts  are 
being  sent  forth  dressed  in  the  best  possible  manner. 

The  New  York  Evening  Post,  a  newspaper  credited 
with  being  extremely  conservative  as  to  any  change  in 
its  appearance,  recently  adopted  wider  columns  for  its. 
editorial  matter.  It  was  felt,  as  explained  by  one  of 
the  Evening  Posfs  officers,  "that  the  wider  measure 
gives  a  little  more  character  to  the  editorial  matter  and 
leads  the  reader  to  visualize  the  whole  editorial  as  of 
reasonable  length  rather  than  stretching  on  to  a  long,, 
thin  column.  Also  it  was  felt  that  the  whole  effect  of 
the  page  seems  more  open  and  inviting." 

It  is  generally  accepted  that  editorials  should  have 
an  appearance  distinguishing  them  from  news.  This  is 
in  accord  with  the  theory  that  the  successful  newspaper 
in  the  future  will  be  the  one  which  gives  its  reader  the 
news  on  all  phases  of  any  matter  which  it  handles, 
without  editorial  color  in  the  story  or  in  the  headingv 
and  that  a  sharp  distinction  shall  always  be  made 
between  the  editorial  columns,  in  which  the  preferences 
and  policies  of  the  paper  govern,  and  the  news  columns 
in  which  only  one  policy  governs,  the  policy  of  printing 
the  news. 

Type  Measurements. — A  few  of  the  specifications 
for  different  styles  of  editorial  columns  may  be  given, 
in  typographical  terms. 

I.  The  width  of  column  is  usually  13  pica  ems,  but 
is  sometimes  as  narrow  as  12  ems,  or  as  wide  as  the 
seven-  or  eight-column  page.  (A  pica  em  is  1-6  of 
an  inch). 

Editorials  are  usually  set  in  seven  or  eight  point 
215 


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216 


TYPOGRAPHICAL  APPEARANCE 

type,  the  same  size  used  in  the  news,  but  some  news- 
papers use  type  as  large  as  twelve  or  fourteen  point, 
sometimes  blackface.    (A  point  is  1-72  of  an  inch). 

3.  The  space  between  lines  is  commonly  four  points 
instead  of  one  or  two  points  as  in  news  matter.  In 
other  words,  editorial  matter  is  "double  leaded." 

4.  Headings  are  usually  one  line  of  capitals  in  the 
size  of  type  in  which  the  body  of  the  editorial  is  set. 
Sometimes,  however,  a  larger  size  of  type  is  used  for 
the  heading.  A  few  papers  use,  occasionally,  a  two  or 
three  deck  head,  the  first  line  set  in  capital  letters  and 
the  second  deck,  in  the  form  of  an  inverted  pyramid 
or  half  diamond,  set  in  a  smaller  size  of  capitals  and 
lower  case.  Still  another  variation  is  the  use  of  boxed- 
in  headings,  sometimes  extending  across  several 
columns. 

The  paper  shortage  and  the  consequent  rise  in  price 
of  paper  during  and  after  the  World  War  compelled 
publishers  to  practice  economies  that  affected  the 
appearance  of  the  editorial  pages.  In  some  instances 
columns  and  margins  were  narrowed  so  as  to  admit 
eight  columns  into  a  regular  seven-column  page.  In 
others  the  double  leading  of  editorials  was  abandoned 
in  favor  of  single  leading  or  no  leading  at  all,  if  the 
news  was  set  solid.  Advertising  was  crowded  into  the 
page  and  less  important  features  were  crowded  out  or 
cut  down  in  length. 

The  Problem  of  Length. — Length  of  editorials, 
though  not  a  matter  of  typography,  may  be  viewed  as 
a  physical  characteristic  affecting  the  general  appear- 
ance of  the  page.     In  most  editorial  offices,  length  is 

217 


THE  EDITORIAL 

■not  determined  solely  by  the  requirements  of  the  sub- 
ject to  be  handled.  It  is  always  possible  to  leave  some- 
thing over,  to  be  said  on  the  following  day,  or  to  treat 
different  aspects  of  the  same  subject  in  separate  edi- 
torials. Therefore,  without  serious  damage  to  the 
thought  content  of  the  editorial,  a  general  limitation 
as  to  length  may  be  adopted  with,  of  course,  the  pos- 
sibility of  radical  departure  from  the  rule  when 
occasion  demands.  It  is  related  that  Joseph  Pulitzer 
once  directed  an  editorial  writer  who  had  been  working 
two  weeks  on  a  special  investigation,  to  condense  the 
whole  matter  into  an  editorial  of  twenty  lines.  Doubt- 
less this  limitation  seemed  ridiculous  to  the  editorial 
writer,  but  on  the  other  hand,  Mr.  Pulitzer's  theory  as 
to  the  importance  of  condensation  has  much  in  its 
favor.  The  opinion  may  be  ventured  that  the  average 
length  of  editorials  should  be  diminished  rather  than 
increased,  from  present  practice. 


CHAPTER  X 
THE  EDITORIAL  PAGE 

The  ideal  editorial  page  is  as  difficult  to  describe 
as  are  other  ideals  that  are  largely  matters  of  indi- 
vidual taste  and  into  which  the  "human  element"  en- 
ters largely.  Any  page  which  is  contending  for  the 
title  of  ideal  must  be  judged  from  several  points  of 
view;  and  the  degree  of  its  merit  will  depend  partly 
upon  the  success  with  which  compromises  have  been 
made  between  these  various  and,  almost  always,  an- 
tagonistic aims. 

Some  Conflicting  Demands. — i.  To  a  reasonable 
degree,  the  editorial  page  should  reflect  the  tastes  and 
ideas  of  the  publisher.  This,  however,  while  a  per- 
fectly reasonable  requirement,  seems  more  like  an  inci- 
dental matter  than  one  vitally  determining  the  ideal 
quality  of  the  page. 

2.  From  the  point  of  view  of  the  editorial  writer, 
the  page  should  afford  opportunity  for  free  and  honest 
expression  of  opinions  and  for  participation  in  the 
shaping  of  affairs.  There  should  be  nothing  on  the 
page  to  detract  from  the  influence  of  the  editorial 
columns — nothing  incongruous.  It  is  here,  rather  than 
in  the  news  columns,  that  the  paper's  individuality 
appears. 

219 


THE  EDITORIAL 

3.  From  the  reader's  standpoint,  the  ideal  editorial 
page  is  anything  that  the  reader  is;  but  all  readers 
share  in  the  desire  that  an  editorial  page  be  one  that 
can  be  found  without  undue  effort,  read  with  interest 
and  profit,  believed  without  fear  of  deception,  and 
acted  upon  without  liability  to  regret. 

4.  From  the  point  of  view  of  the  community,  the 
editorial  page  needs  to  be  constructive  and  serviceable. 

5.  From  the  point  of  view  of  society  as  a  whole, 
the  sum  total  of  the  influence  flowing  out  of  the  edi- 
torial page  must  work  towards  ends  that  are  good.  Or, 
as  Doctor  Washington  Gladden  has  put  it,  in  describ- 
ing what  should  be  the  influence  of  a  newspaper : 

First,  to  teach  the  people  to  avoid  exaggeration  and 
violent  speech,  and  to  cultivate  moderate  and  rational 
modes  of  expression. 

Second,  to  resist  the  tendencies  which  dementalize 
democracy,  and  which  substitute  the  mob-mind  for  the 
deliberative  mind. 

Third,  to  hold  the  popular  judgment  firmly  to  the  truth 
that  character  and  manhood  and  not  money  and  popularity 
are  the  central  values  of  human  existence. 

Fourth,  to  turn  the  thoughts  of  men  more  and  more 
from  the  negative  virtue  of  detecting  and  exposing  the 
evil  to  the  positive  virtue  of  discerning  and  praising  the 
good. 

The  "Where"  of  It. — The  reasons  that  seem  con- 
clusive for  collecting  the  opinions  of  a  newspaper  into 
one  column,  or  one  page — aside  from  its  critical 
opinions  on  literature,  art,  music,  or  the  drama,  and 

220 


THE  EDITORIAL  PAGE 

special  departments  such  as  finance  and  sports — have 
been  heretofore  mentioned.  All  large  papers  adhere 
to  this  practice.  A  few,  however,  when  they  desire 
especially  to  emphasize  an  editorial,  give  it  position  on 
the  front  page.  This  practice  while  it  results  in  an 
immediate  gain  in  attention,  seems  ill-advised  from  the 
point  of  view  of  the  general  interests  of  the  editorial 
page.  Each  paper,  however,  is  the  only  competent 
judge  as  to  the  best  way  of  getting  desired  results. 

Newspapers  show  no  agreement  as  to  the  proper 
position  of  the  editorial  page.  The  positions  most 
commonly  chosen  are  on  pages  four,  six,  eight,  or  ten, 
depending  upon  the  size  of  the  paper.  The  back  page 
is  preferred  by  a  few  on  account  of  the  prominence  it 
lends  to  the  page,  and  one  paper  uses  the  second  page 
from  the  last,  because,  in  this  position,  it  is  always 
easy  to  find. 

Both  Extremes  Imperfect. — It  is  difficult  to 
choose ''names  that  accurately  describe  the  different 
types  of  editorial  pages.  Such  more  or  less  vaguely 
expressive  adjectives  as  high-brow,  popular,  conserv- 
ative, sensational,  intellectual,  human  interest,  cheap, 
variegated,  heart-to-heart,  are  used  with  more  or  less 
justification.  There  are  individual  differences  in  almost 
every  case,  but  broadly  speaking,  two  general  types  are 
easily  distinguishable  :  the  page  that,  both  as  to  its  form 
and  its  content,  is  conservative ;  and,  on  the  other  hand, 
the  page  which  either  as  to  its  form  or  its  content,  or 
both,  is  sensational.  Neither  one  can  be  condemned 
out  of  hand,  though  it  is  safe  to  say  that  a  vision  of 
the  tremendous  part  the  newspaper  of  the  future  might 

221 


THE  EDITORIAL 

play  begets  impatience  with  that  habitual  sensation- 
alism employed  without  seeming  justification  as  a 
means  to  a  good  end.  Some  editorial  pages  almost 
require  gutters  to  carry  off  the  flood  of  emotionalism. 
Upon  occasion  and  in  order  to  arouse  an  indifferent 
public,  sensational  methods  are  laudable,  but  not  day 
in  and  day  out — the  voltage  is  too  high.  It  should  be 
understood  here  that  "sensational"  is  not  synonymous 
with  "yellow."  The  word  "yellow,"  used  in  jour- 
nalism, denotes  falsification,  injustice,  or  indecency. 

How  Much  and  How  Fully  Read? — The  quantity 
of  original  matter  varies  in  different  newspapers  from 
less  than  one  column  to  a  full  page.  The  average  is 
between  two  and  three  columns.  The  amount  appear- 
ing from  issue  to  issue  in  any  given  paper  is  fairly 
constant.  The  question  is  not  one  of  printing  an 
amount  which  the  typical  reader  may  be  expected  to 
digest  thoroughly.  Not  one  reader  in  a  hundred  will 
do  that.  It  is  rather  a  question  of  printing  a  sufficient 
amount  to  allow  for  variety  enough  to  insure  every 
reader's  finding  at  least  one  editorial  on  a  subject  of 
prime  interest  to  himself.  When  public  attention  is 
occupied  by  some  crisis  in  affairs,  an  editorial  on  this 
subject  may  well  occupy  the  whole  space  available  for 
editorials.  On  that  day,  perhaps,  the  editorial  page 
will  be  read  thoroughly  by  ninety  per  cent  of  the  sub- 
scribers. Under  normal  conditions,  perhaps  not  more 
than  fifty  per  cent  read  anything  on  the  editorial  page. 
On  the  average,  each  individual  reads  not  more,  per- 
haps, than  ten  per  cent  of  the  page. 

Considering  the  ordinary  man's  habits  in  reading 

222 


THE  EDITORIAL  PAGE 

his  newspaper,  and  remembering  that  habits  may  be 
changed  with  difficulty,  it  is  safe  to  venture  the  behef 
that  the  quantity  of  editorials  in  the  metropolitan  paper 
need  not  exceed  four  columns.  Since  the  editorial 
writers  are  permanent  members  of  the  staff,  this 
amount  will  be  fairly  constant;  but  great  flexibility 
will  exist  as  to  the  amount  apportioned  to  different 
subjects,  and  the  number  of  subjects  treated. 

In  the  small  paper,  the  owner  of  which  is  the  edi- 
torial writer  as  well  as  the  news  editor,  and  sometimes, 
also,  business  manager,  circulation  and  advertising 
solicitor  and  foreman  of  the  printing  office,  the 
quantity  of  editorial  matter  is  at  the  mercy  of  cir- 
cumstances. There  should  certainly  always  be  edi- 
torials. It  is  difficult  to  believe  but  that  the  interests 
of  any  community,  no  matter  how  small,  in  which  a 
newspaper  is  published,  call  for  at  least  a  column  of 
original  editorials. 

Cafeteria  Methods. — As  to  other  matter  on  the 
editorial  page,  there  is  great  variety. 

In  the  country  paper  the  remainder  of  the  page  is 
usually  occupied  by  reprint,  news,  and  advertisements. 
This  lack  of  variety  does  not  mean  that  the  page  must 
be  inferior;  nor  does  the  presence  of  advertisements 
damage  it,  provided  the  pyramid  make-up — building 
up  the  advertising  from  the  lower  right  hand  corner — 
is  used,  so  that  the  editorials  are  in  top-of-column 
position  and  can  be  tastefully  arranged.  News  stories 
with  heads  so  large  as  to  overshadow  the  editorial 
heads,  ought  to  be  excluded.  In  the  city  paper  there 
seems  to  be  hardly  any  limit  to  the  number  of  varieties 

223 


THE  EDITORIAL 

of  features  and  departments  originated  to  serve  as 
frosting  on  the  editorial  cake — selected  usually  by 
some  one  else  than  the  editor.  Among  these  are  car- 
toons, communications,  "opposition  columns,"  verse, 
feature  columns,  jokes  and  anecdotes,  puzzles,  con- 
tinued stories,  theater  news,  "sob  stuff,"  the  weather, 
health  department,  answers  to  questions,  historical  and 
biographical  feature  stories,  syndicate  features,  re- 
print editorials — useful  in  backing  up  the  paper's  own 
policies,  or,  better,  in  presenting  other  points  of  view. 
Then  there  are :  the  flag, 'market  news,  announcements 
of  deaths,  births  and  marriages,  paper's  motto  or  its 
"platform"  or  a  statement  of  its  policies,  advertising 
and  subscription  rates,  the  calendar  of  the  day  or  week, 
news,  interviews,  advertisements.  Some  papers  have 
as  many  as  a  score  of  different  kinds  of  materials  on 
the  editorial  page.  At  the  other  extreme  are  a  very  few 
newspapers  which  print  nothing  but  original  editorials 
with  perhaps  a  decorative  heading  over  them  and  a 
motto. 

The  tendency  to  make  the  editorial  page  a  sort  of 
literary  museum  or,  perhaps  better,  a  vaudeville  per- 
formance, is  to  be  deprecated.  With  a  few  exceptions 
these  features  soon  wear  out.  They  are  not  necessary 
to  attract  attention  to  editorials  that  are  worth  reading 
and  it  is  doubtful  that  they  ever  operate  in  that  way. 
The  only  secret  of  a  successful  editorial  page  is  to 
make  the  editorial  column  itself  readable. 

Three  Outstanding  Features. — Out  of  this  mis- 
cellany, however,  three  features  may  be  selected  as 
being  so  closely  related  to  the  columns  of  original 

224 


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An     Editorial    Page    Containing    a    Great    Variety    of 
Materials. 


225 


THE  EDITORIAL 

opinion  as  to  deserve  to  be  handled  as  auxiliary  edi- 
torial matter. 

I.  First  in  importance  is  the  cartoon — a  pictorial 
editorial.  Cartoonists  of  the  present  day  are  perform- 
ing an  immeasurable  service  to  the  country  and  also 
to  the  press.  Historically  considered,  the  cartoon  is 
one  of  the  most  interesting  vehicles  of  opinion.  Great 
questions  have  been  opened  to  the  public,  and  im- 
portant reforms  have  been  accomplished  by  cartoonists. 

George  Fitch  once  described  their  power  in  the 
following  characteristic  words : 

The  cartoonist  has  to  be  a  humorist,  a  philosopher 
and  a  close  student  of  mankind  in  addition  to  being  boss 
of  an  obedient  and  well  trained  pencil.  He  has  to  boil 
down  the  concentrated  wisdom  of  a  hundred  stump 
speakers  into  a  three  column  picture  done  in  a  hurry, 
while  the  engraving  room  is  yelling  for  his  work.  He 
has  to  say  more  in  the  picture  of  a  fat  man  and  an  ele- 
phant than  a  perspiring  candidate  can  utter  in  a  two- 
hour  speech  and  he  usually  does  it.  He  preaches  sermons 
in  snickers  and  when  he  has  made  good,  people  look  at 
his  funny,  freakish  absurdities  at  the  breakfast  table 
and  then  turn  to  the  heavy  editorials  to  see  if  they  are 
corroborated  by  the  cartoon. 

A  cartoonist  once  broke  up  Tammany  and  sent  its 
boss  to  jail.  Ten  thousand  speakers  have  tried  to  dup- 
licate the  trick  ever  since  but  they  haven't  succeeded. 
Sometimes  we  think  that  the  nation  doesn't  appreciate 
a  really  good  cartoonist.  It  should  elect  him  to  office. 
Think  what  a  stump  speaker  he  would  make  if  he  got 
out  to  defend  his  administration  with  a  soft-nosed  lead 
pencil  and  three  acres  of  white  paper  on  an  easel ! 

226 


THE  EDITORIAL  PAGE 

The  theory  sometimes  expressed,  however,  that  the 
cartoon  is  superseding  the  editorial  has  no  apparent 
justification.  It  is  obvious  that  a  good  cartoon  reaches 
a  far  wider  public  than  the  good  editorial;  that  it 
delivers  its  message  quicker  and  with  less  effort  on  the 
part  of  the  individual,  and  sometimes  with  more  force- 
It  speaks  the  universal  language.  But,  after  all,  the 
cartoon  can  say  very  little;  it  presents  only  a  cross- 
section  of  some  interesting  situation.  It  is  in  fact  little 
more  than  a  drawn  paragraph.  The  picture  editorial 
supplements  verbal  editorials  most  acceptably,  but  it 
can  not  supersede  them.  One  who  cares  to  pursue  the 
subject  at  length  will  find  it  interesting  to  analyze 
and  classify  cartoons  from  the  standpoint  of  their 
purpose,  of  interpretation,  argument,  appeal,  or  enter- 
tainment, or  from  the  standpoint  of  their  style  and 
technique.  It  is  also  an  excellent  practice  to  work  up 
ideas  for  cartoons. 

2.  A  second  logical  auxiliary  of  the  editorial 
column  is  the  column  of  communications.  A  great 
variety  of  headings  have  been  invented  for  this  depart- 
ment, and  sometimes  it  is  handled  as  news  material. 
Experience  generally  supports  the  view  that  it  consti- 
tutes a  valuable  feature  of  the  paper.  It  is  a  per- 
petual "day  in  court,"  an  open  forum,  a  safety  valve, 
a  barometer,  or  a  layman's  pulpit. 

While  the  rules  for  handling  communications  vary 
considerably,  the  best  practice  seems  to  recommend 
that  communications  be  edited  so  as  to  make  them  as 
short  and  interesting  as  possible  without  doing  an 
injustice  to  the  writers;  that  the  name  be  printed  or 

227 


THE  EDITORIAL 

withheld  as  the  writer  directs;  that  anonymous  com- 
munications be  not  printed  (though  the  most  famous 
of  all  communications  to  newspapers,  the  "Letters  of 
Junius,"  were  such)  ;  that  liberality  be  shown  as  to 
printing  communications  on  all  sides  of  all  questions; 
that  no  violation  of  good  taste  be  allowed;  that  an 
editor  is  justified  in  giving  preference  to  communi- 
cations supporting  a  policy  of  the  paper;  that  the 
practice  of  writing  communications  in  the  office  in 
order  to  give  an  impression  that  public  opinion  is 
aroused  for  some  object  is  indefensible, 

3.  Newspaper  verse,  when,  as  frequently,  it  is 
used  as  a  vehicle  for  interpretation,  argument,  per- 
suasion or  entertainment,  becomes  an  auxiliary  edi- 
torial feature.  Short  verse  has  the  characteristics  of  a 
pointed  paragraph,  with  rhythm  and  rime  added.  A 
similar  utility  attaches  to  what  is  commonly  called 
''the  prose  poem." 

A  few  papers,  in  communities  where  there  is  only 
one  paper,  or  where  one  or  more  political  parties  have 
no  newspaper  organ,  establish  on  their  editorial  pages 
■"opposition  columns."  The  custom  is  not  spreading. 
It  will  naturally  pass  out  of  existence  wherever  the 
party  organ  disappears,  through  consolidations  or 
otherwise,  and  the  independent  press  takes  its  place. 
A  wide-open  department  for  communications  is  all  the 
■^'opposition  column"  demanded  in  most  instances. 

Variations  on  Sunday. — An  interesting  dissim- 
ilarity may  be  found  between  the  week-day  and  the 
Sunday  editorial  pages  of  some  daily  newspapers.  In 
the  paper  which  shows  the  most  extreme  contrasts  in 

228 


THE  EDITORIAL  PAGE 

this  respect,  the  week-day  issues  contain  a  preponder- 
ance of  syndicate  features — "comics,"  "strips,"  senti- 
mental philosophy,  nature  notes,  soul-to-soul  talks, 
maxims,  paragraphs  and  continued  stories.  The  Sun- 
day issues  have  more  inviting  pages,  two-thirds  filled 
with  editorial  matter  in  wide  columns  and  the  other 
third  poetry  and  reprint  from  periodicals  and  books. 

The  contrasts  in  most  papers,  however,  are  less 
obvious,  consisting  merely  in  the  use  of  more  solid 
features  for  Sunday,  an  increase  in  the  amount  of 
editorial  matter,  and  a  choice  of  subjects  regarded  as 
more  appropriate  for  Sabbath  day  consideration. 


CHAPTER  XI 
EDITORIAL  RESPONSIBILITY 

Pretty  much  everything  in  this  book  has  direct  or 
indirect  reference  to  some  question  of  editorial  respon- 
sibility. Responsibilities  grow  out  of  relationships,  just 
such  relationships  as  have  been  discussed  here  between 
the  editor  and  the  materials  he  has  to  work  with,  and 
between  the  editor  and  his  readers. 

The  Clash  of  Obligations. — There  is  in  the  edi- 
torial world,  as  in  any,  the  conflict  of  obligations  which 
renders  living  the  complex  matter  that  it  is.  The 
personal  interests  of  the  editor  himself  seem  to  con- 
flict sometimes  with  the  interests  of  the  paper,  or  the 
interests  of  the  paper  conflict  with  those  of  the  great 
unorganized  mass  of  people  for  whom  the  newspaper 
should  be  a  champion.  These  and  other  similar  clashes 
of  interest  will  afford  the  editor  plenty  of  exercise 
trying  to  catch  up  with  the  Greatest  Good  to  the 
Greatest  Number  after  he  has  once  succeeded  in  pick- 
ing it  out  from  among  the  crowd  of  greater  and  lesser 
Goods. 

Without  any  intention  of  debating  fine  points  or 
trying  to  settle  questions  on  which  doctors  disagree, 
it  is  yet  possible  to  describe  the  general  aspects  of 
editorial  responsibility  as  developed  in  the  experience 
of  careful  and  yet  "practical"  journalists. 

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EDITORIAL  RESPONSIBILITY 

A  Common  Bugbear. — If  the  editor  is  not  the 
owner  of  the  paper,  he  has  certain  responsibihties  to 
the  owner,  and  out  of  this  relationship  grows  a  pos- 
sibiHty  of  conflict  about  which  much  has  been  said. 
American  journaHsm  has  been  condemned  on  the 
ground  that  it  i^  common  for  editorial  writers  to  feel 
compelled  to  write  otherwise  than  according  to  their 
own  convictions.  By  contrast,  the  standard  of  honor  in 
English  journalism  is  pointed  out,  according  to  which 
an  editorial  writer,  who  finds  his  own  views  divergent 
from  those  of  the  publisher,  resigns  his  job  and  goes 
to  some  paper  on  which  he  is  enabled  to  write  with 
sincerity  and  freedom.  All  that  need  be  said  on  this 
matter  is  to  deny  that  conditions  in  our  journalism 
are  as  bad  as  represented — and  they  are  growing  better. 
The  attitude  of  a  great  newspaper  on  some  question  of 
the  hour  will  not,  of  course,  fit  exactly  the  opinions 
of  all  its  editorial  writers;  but  the  individual  writer 
can,  to  a  large  extent,  choose  the  subjects  which  he  is 
to  discuss,  thereby  avoiding  those  which  he  feels  he 
could  not  conscientiously  present  in  accordance  with 
the  paper's  policy. 

The  general  attitude  of  any  great  newspaper  is  well 
understood  and  no  one  need  commit  the  error  of 
affiliating  himself  with  a  paper  having  a  point  of 
view  opposite  to  his  own,  though,  to  be  sure,  no 
editor  will  find  a  great  paper  that  maintains  views 
exactly  the  same  as  his  own,  any  more  than  he  will 
find  a  church  offering  such  a  complete  harmony — or 
a  political  party.  Affiliations  in  life  are  almost  always 
231 


THE  EDITORIAL 

established  on  the  principle  of  approximate,   rather 
than  perfect,  agreement. 

In  connection  with  the  reference  made  to  English 
journalism,  it  is  interesting  to  find  a  historian  of  the 
English  press,  J.  D.  Symon,  defending  editorial  writers 
who,  "acute  in  discovering  the  feeling  of  the  masses, 
become  advocates,  able  special  pleaders,  who  can  with 
equal  versatility  maintain  the  worse  or  the  better 
cause  at  will.  The  barrister  does  not  suffer  in  character 
by  being  able  to  maintain  the  side  for  which  he  is 
briefed.  It  is  not  a  question  of  personal  conviction. 
The  newspaper,  so  far  as  editorial  opinion  goes, 
remains  impersonal,  and  the  private  convictions  of  the 
special  pleader  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  case." 

It  is  not  to  be  denied,  however,  that  instances  are 
not  wanting  in  which  publishers,  either  in  furtherance 
of  their  own  views  or  of  their  social,  political,  or 
financial  interests,  make  demands  on  their  editorial 
writers  both  disagreeable  and  humiliating.  Editors 
continue  to  compromise  themselves  by  working  for 
such  publishers,  just  as  lawyers  continue  to  comprom- 
ise themselves  by  taking  such  clients.  But  in  the  case 
of  bad  journalism,  the  remedy  is  much  easier  to  apply 
because  the  readers  always  have  the  remedy  in  their 
own  hands.  For  this  reason,  even  in  the  face  of  fre- 
quent disquieting  revelations,  it  is  possible  to  be  opti- 
mistic as  to  the  future  of  metropolitan  journalism  in 
America. 

The  Professional  Obligation. — The  responsibility 
which  lies  closest  to  the  editor — of  the  five-column 
weekly  or  of  the  great  daily — grows  out  of  what  may 
232 


EDITORIAL  RESPONSIBILITY 

be  called  his  duty  to  himself  as  an  editor  and  to  his 
profession,  the  profession  of  journalism. 

His  duty  to  himself  is  of  the  same  character  and 
importance  as  any  man's  duty  to  himself.  It  needs 
no  elucidation  here.  In  the  light  of  what  has  been 
said  under  the  preceding  topic,  it  is  assumed  that  an 
important  part  of  his  duty  to  himself  is  to  write  as  he 
believes.  This  is  not  only  a  duty  but  a  source  of  power 
in  writing. 

The  editor  owes  it  to  his  profession,  as  well  as  to 
himself,  to  work  out  a  settled  philosophy  of  life,  that 
is,  to  establish  adequate  personal  and  professional 
principles  of  action  which  mark  his  course  as  a  man 
and  as  a  writer.  Such,  for  example,  is  the  rule  of 
action  which  the  editor  adopts  as  to  using  personal 
attack  in  his  writings.  Will  he  attack  personally  the 
private  individual?  a  competitor?  a  man  in  public  life? 
an  official? — any  or  all  or  none?  If  he  uses  personal 
attack,  will  he  direct  it  at  his  opponent's  personal 
appearance?  private  Hfe?  abilities?  acts?  ideals? — any, 
all  or  none? 

Or,  as  another  example,  how  will  the  editor  meet 
outside  influences  brought  to  bear  upon  him — influ- 
ences involving  money,  or  involving  threats,  or  in- 
volving friendships?  A  multitude  of  such  tests  will 
be  put  to  the  editor.  His  method  of  meeting  them 
will  reveal  his  sense  of  responsibility  to  himself  and 
his  profession, 

A  Newspaper  Has  Rights. — Next  in  its  close  per- 
sonal relationships  to  the  editor  himself,  is  his  respon- 
sibility to  his  newspaper  as  an  institution,  enjoying 

233 


THE  EDITORIAL 

certain  rights  which  even  its  editor  is  bound  to  respect. 
These  things  might  be  described  as  the  newspaper's 
rights  to  life,  liberty  and  the  pursuit  of  usefulness. 
Life,  meaning  not  merely  continued  existence,  but 
maintenance  of  its  health,  requiring  that  the  editor 
ponder  deeply  the  sources  of  newspaper  influence,  and 
of  a  normal  growth  in  strength  and  prestige.  Liberty, 
necessitating  reasonable  independence  in  performing 
its  functions,  such  as  depends  on  resistance  to  attempts 
at  domination  by  advertisers.  Pursuit  of  usefulness; 
doing  well  those  things  which  a  newspaper  can  do  in 
justifying  its  existence  as  an  institution;  seeking  its 
ends  with  dynamic  intensity;  but  never  entering  an 
editorial  campaign  until  all  phases  of  the  engagement 
have  been  thought  out:  the  chances  for  defeat  or 
victory  measured  carefully;  account  taken  of  those 
who  must  be  converted  or  placated,  and  of  those  who 
must  be  defeated;  decision  made  as  to  whether  edu- 
cational methods,  or  quicker  and  more  forceful  direct 
attack,  are  to  be  used;  determination  of  the  most 
promising  methods  in  editorial  strategy,  and  the 
paper's  attitude  in  victory  or  defeat.  In  other  words, 
a  newspaper  has  a  right  to  conservation  of  its  interests 
and  development  of  its  powers. 

A  broader  phase  of  this  matter  is  the  editor's  respon- 
sibility to  his  craft,  to  the  profession  of  journalism.  If 
an  editor  shows  no  interest  in  other  editorial  opinion 
and  no  respect  for  it,  how  can  he  be  so  ingenuous  as 
to  suppose  that  he  is  building  in  his  readers'  minds 
respect  for  any  editorial  opinion.    He  is  a  strange 

234 


EDITORIAL  RESPONSIBILITY 

editor  who  seeks  credit  by  acting  as  though  he 
belonged  to  a  class  that  is  discreditable. 

The  Implied  Contract. — But  the  sense  in  which 
the  expression,  "editorial  responsibility,"  is  commonly 
used  refers  chiefly  to  the  editor's  responsibility  to  the 
community.  As  relationships  here  are  multitudinous, 
so  responsibility  is  very  great.  The  editor  is  a  party  to 
an  unwritten  contract  between  the  newspaper  and  the 
public.  This  contract  recognizes  that  news  and  opinion 
are  necessities  of  the  community  life  as  of  political  and 
social  well-being  generally;  that  the  newspaper  is,  in 
effect,  enjoying  a  franchise  to  deal  in  these  necessities ; 
that  extraordinary  privileges  of  approach  to  the  minds 
of  the  members  of  the  community  and  a  valuable  gift 
of  public  confidence,  have  been  bestowed.  All  of  which 
explains  the  basis  of  the  more  and  more  common  con- 
ception of  the  newspaper  as  being  a  quasi  public  utility 
under  the  same  obligations  to  devote  itself  to  the  public 
interests  as  any  public  utility.  Or  it  is  a  complex 
socializing  manufactory  whose  product  is  information 
and  whose  chief  by-product  is  good,  sound  public 
opinion;  and  it  operates  under  a  special  charter  in 
which  the  public  is  named  as  one  of  the  incorporators. 
As  this  inevitable  conclusion  regarding  the  nature  of 
the  newspaper  as  an  institution  gains  general  accept- 
ance, the  paper  run  according  to  the  proprietor's  selfish 
interest  alone  will  become  an  anachronism  and  finally 
a  curiosity. 

Capitalistic  Leanings. — Equally  ridiculous,  and 
much  more  dangerous,  is  the  apparent  sense  of  respon- 
sibility felt  by  some  newspapers  towards  wealth.  There 

235 


THS  EDITORIAL 

is  some  ground  for  the  phrase,  "the  capitalistic  press." 
It  is  not  surprising  that  as  the  metropolitan  newspaper^ 
has  become  financially  great,  it  has  come  into  the 
hands  of  men  with  the  point  of  view  of  wealth.  (James 
Gordon  Bennett  started  the  New  York  Herald  with 
$500,  in  1835.  It  would  require  a  thousand  times  that 
much  to  start  a  daily  paper  in  New  York  to-day). 
The  remedy  for  the  evil  growing  out  of  such  a  con- 
dition lies  with  the  public,  and  in  the  past  the  public 
has  not  failed  to  apply  the  remedy  in  many  notable 
instances.  The  newspaper  which  manifests  failure  to 
appreciate  where  its  chief  responsibility  lies  will,  as  a 
rule,  find  that  the  public  is  pointing  its  finger  in  the 
direction  of  the  scrap  pile. 

While  president  of  the  University  of  Minnesota, 
George  E.  Vincent  declared :  "The  press  is  more  than 
a  business.  It  is  a  social  service  fundamental  to  the 
national  life,  exerting  profound  influence  upon  it.  The 
men  of  the  press  must  recognize  the  social  nature  of 
their  task.  If  the  press  be  a  corporation,  it  is  a  public 
service  corporation  with  all  of  the  social  responsibility 
that  this  implies.  The  American  press  reflects  the  life 
of  all  of  us,  and  it  aflfects  the  life  of  all  of  us.  We  must 
all  share  the  common  task  of  raising  slowly,  steadily, 
courageously  this  life  to  a  higher  level  of  truth,  of 
justice,  of  good  will.  We,  the  people,  make  the  press 
what  it  is.  The  press  can  help  us  to  make  it  and  all 
our  national  institutions  more  nearly  what  they  should 
be." 

Some  of  the  most  interesting  phases  of  this  respon- 
sibility of  the  newspaper  to  the  public  have  to  do  with 

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EDITORIAL  RESPONSIBILITY 

other  parts  of  the  paper  than  the  editorial  page,  and 
are  matters  for  treatment  in  a  work  of  broader  scope 
than  this,  covering  the  entire  field  of  newspaper  prob- 
lems and  policies.  They  include,  on  the  side  of  the 
news,  such  questions  as  the  possibility  of  a  newpaper's 
telling  the  truth,  accuracy  in  details,  sensationalism, 
the  printing  of  crime  and  anti-social  news,  suppression 
of  news,  licensing  reporters,  the  use  of  a  black  list; 
and  on  the  side  of  advertising,  such  questions  as  clean 
advertising,  guaranteed  advertising,  advertising  serv- 
ice, free  advertising,  favors  to  large  advertisers. 

Of  the  newspaper's  broader  obligations,  William 
Herbert  Carruth,  professor  of  comparative  literatures 
in  Leland  Stanford  University,  has  said: 

When  the  journalist  shall  acknowledge  and  confess  his 
responsibility  as  an  agent  and  educator  of  the  public,  and 
bind  himself  by  as  solemn  an  oath  as  that  of  Hippocrates, 
once,  and  unfortunately  no  longer,  required  of  the  physi- 
cian, to  care  religiously  for  the  honor  and  welfare  of 
those  whom  he  serves,  he  will  deserve  to  take  his  place 
where  he  belongs,  beside  the  educator  in  the  work  of 
building  up  a  great  common  consciousness  for  civic 
righteousness. 

From  the  point  of  view  of  the  editorial  column,  the 
first  principle  of  responsibility  to  the  public  covers  the 
exercise  of  such  homely  virtues  as  fairness,  honesty, 
cleanness,  cheerfulness,  charitableness,  generosity, 
courageousness.  Such  virtues  require  no  definition, 
and  no  supporting  arguments. 

In  the  editorial  column  it  is  desirable  service  to  the 
237 


THE  EDITORIAL 

public  to  emphasize  the  significant  things  in  the  news 
which  are  liable  to  be  overlooked  and  the  apparently 
little  things  which  are  in  reality  great. 

Some  Community  Services. — There  are  impor- 
tant community  interests  and  activities  which  the  edi- 
tor aware  of  his  responsibilities  can  foster.  Almost 
marvellous  are  some  of  the  stories  of  community  serv- 
ice rendered  by  newspapers  small  and  great. 

No  civic  agency  can  do  as  much  for  the  health  of 
the  community  as  can  newspapers.  Activities  in  this 
line  take  the  direction  sometimes  of  a  health  column 
in  the  paper,  at  other  times,  a  campaign  for  efficiency 
in  the  city  health  department  or  adequate  equipment 
for  handling  problems  in  sanitation,  the  care  of  con- 
tagious diseases,  and  inspection  to  discover  need  of 
preventative  or  curative  measures.  Not  often  is  an 
editor's  courage  and  devotion  to  the  public  welfare 
more  severely  tested  than  when  he  is  faced  by  the 
necessity  of  exposing  and  attacking  bad  conditions  in 
his  own  town.  What  has  been  said  of  physical  health 
applies  equally  to  the  moral  health  of  the  community. 

The  editor  is  the  one  naturally  and  properly  ap- 
•proached  for  aid  in  financing  relief  and  charitable 
undertakings.  He  responds  as  a  matter  of  course.  In- 
deed the  proceeding  becomes  so  much  a  matter  of 
course  that  it  seems  as  though  the  public  forgets  to 
give  the  newspaper  any  credit  for  its  work. 

In  educational  affairs,  intelligent  support  by  the 
editor  is  invaluable.  There  are  many  fine  school  build- 
ings in  every  state  which  would  not  be  standing 
except  for  the  activity  of  newspapers  in  popularizing 

238 


EDITORIAL  RESPONSIBILITY 

the  work  of  the  schools  and  in  stimulating  and  organiz- 
ing sentiment  in  favor  of  proper  equipment. 

The  editor  can  do  much  to  interest  his  readers  in 
recreation.  A  community  to  be  healthy  must  know 
how  to  play. 

Cultivation  of  the  public  taste  rests  largely  with  the 
newspapers.  In  the  first  place,  the  editor  will  see  to 
it  that  he  approaches  the  problem  with  clean  hands, 
by  exemplifying  good  taste  in  the  content  and  appear- 
ance of  his  own  page  and  the  paper  as  a  whole.  Pro- 
ceeding from  this  point,  he  creates  what  interest  he 
can  in  good  literature,  for  example,  by  occasional  edi- 
torials on  books  that  he  himself  has  read;  by  hearty 
support  of  public  libraries  and  by  such  remarks  as  he 
may  feel  like  making  on  reading  in  general. 

In  similar  ways,  the  editor  can  promote  appreciation 
of  painting,  architecture,  music,  and  the  drama. 

The  so-called  "service  departments"  containing  ad- 
vice to  readers  on  everything  from  beauty  and  matri- 
mony to  golf  and  law  may,  if  the  editor  so  desires,  be 
given  a  place  in  his  page.  In  a  large  city  paper,  such 
departments  are  undeniably  helpful  to  a  considerable 
number  of  readers. 

Once  in  a  while  an  editor  claims  credit  in  a  case 
like  the  following:  "The  writer  has  had  the  distinct 
satisfaction  of  aiding  materially  in  ridding  his  city  of 
one  of  its  most  baneful  influences — a  moral  leper  who 
belonged  to  half  a  dozen  lodges  and  has  always  been 
a  good  fellow,  with  influential  connections.  There  was 
a  storm  raised  when  he  was  shown  up  in  the  paper. 
He  kept  a  store.    His  advertising  ceased.     When  he 

239 


THE  EDITORIAL 

hinted  that  it  might  be  resumed  'under  certain  condi- 
tions,' he  was  told  that  his  name  in  display  type  would 
be  seen  only  in  the  headlines  announcing  his  departure 
for  jail  or  'parts  unknown,'  but  would  not  be  tolerated 
in  the  advertising  columns  under  any  conditions.  He 
sold  his  business  and  left  town  and  his  successor  is  a 
decent  citizen." 

Ex  officio  Town  Salesman. — From  the  point  of 
view  of  the  town  as  a  unit  of  population  with  a  legi- 
timate ambiton  to  increase,  the  editor  holds  the  im- 
portant position  of  salesman  ex  officio.  Like  any  good 
salesman  or  advertising  manager,  he  makes  it  a  part 
of  his  business  to  improve  the  "commodity"  as  much  as 
possible.  Directions  in  which  he  may  help  do  this 
have  been  suggested.  He  appreciates  the  fact  that,  to 
a  prospective  resident,  a  town  or  city  is  not  a  mere 
material  thing,  but  it  is  a  group  of  opportunities — 
services.  He  does  not  think  of  paving  as  so  much 
brick  or  concrete  to  be  measured  in  miles,  but  as  so 
much  convenience  or  opportunity  for  pleasure  to  the 
resident. 

The  sales-editor  will  analyze  his  "article"  and  pre- 
sent its  virtues  to  the  possible  "purchaser"  with  an 
eye  to  all  the  demands  which  such  a  purchaser  can 
make.  Possibly  he  finds  that  these  relate  to :  ( i )  Edu- 
cational advantages;  (2)  health  conditions;  (3)  at- 
mosphere— beauty,  historic  interest,  architecture, 
moral  tone ;  (4)  the  people  and  the  organizations  they 
foster;  (5)  opportunities  for  recreation;  (6)  housing 
and  shopping  conditions;  (7)  accessibility  and  trans- 
portation facilities;  (8)  investment  opportunities;  (9) 

240 


EDITORIAL  RESPONSIBILITY 

employment  opportunities.  Whatever  they  are,  he 
makes  a  correct  appraisement.  He  then  visualizes 
clearly  the  prospective  resident  whom  he  can  reach 
through  his  column,  or,  more  important,  whom  he  can 
reach  through  the  home  folks  who  get  information,  ap- 
preciation, and  enthusiasm  regarding  the  town  from 
his  editorials.  Then  he  is  ready  for  his  work  as  sales- 
man-in-chief. 

Mixing  in  Politics. — Most  obvious  of  all  the 
editor's  responsibilities  to  the  public,  is  that  of  pro- 
moting good  government,  furthering  the  constructive 
work  of  society;  helping  to  establish  more  firmly  the 
principles  of  sound  democracy.  This  editorial  func- 
tion will  call  for  all  the  courage  and  all  the  wisdom 
and  all  the  diplomacy  of  which  the  editor  is  possessed. 
Too  often  his  efforts  are  limited  to  attacking  bad  gov- 
ernment in  the  excitement  of  a  political  campaign. 
One  of  the  most  disconcerting  facts  about  the  political 
and  civic  offices  of  the  newspapers  of  our  day  is  that 
apparently  their  direct  influence  in  a  campaign  is  much 
less  than  should  be  expected.  In  many  great  munici- 
pal elections,  newspaper  support  has  seemed  of  little 
value  to  the  candidate  receiving  it.  Of  course,  it  is 
utterly  impracticable  to  measure  the  political  influence 
of  a  newspaper.  Logically  it  should  be  tremendously 
great.  If  it  is  not  great,  the  explanation  is  to  be  sought 
not  in  the  weakness  of  the  newspaper  as  an  institution, 
but  in  the  failure  of  its  proper  functioning,  due  to  hu- 
man incompetence  or  dereJiction. 

The  Broadest  Responsibility. — In  its  broadest 
aspect,  the  responsibility  of  the  editor  extends  to  so- 

241 


THE  EDITORIAL 

ciety  as  a  whole  and,  in  particular,  to  the  legal  require- 
ment which  society  has  imposed  upon  the  press.  In 
America,  this  latter  is  not  great.  It  requires  only  that 
the  editor  shall  speak  truth  and  from  worthy  motives. 
Statements  of  fact,  or  opinion,  made  with  a  proper 
sense  of  public  obligation,  except  in  the  case  of  some 
specific  prohibition,  receive  full  protection  under  our 
laws.  The  editor's  responsibility  to  society  as  a  whole 
is  not  different  in  kind  from  his  responsibilty  to  his 
community.  It  becomes  predominant  in  its  authority 
when,  for  some  reason,  the  sentiments  of  the  com- 
munity are  out  of  harmony  with  those  of  the  country 
at  large.  A  few  such  notable  instance  came  to  light 
during  the  World  War  and  more  than  one  newspaper 
received  high  recognition  for  fearlessly  discharging 
its  obligations  to  the  country  in  the  face  of  bitter  an- 
tagonism from  the  most  powerful  element  in  its  city. 

In  the  large  city  or  in  the  small  town,  the  editor 
often  finds  that  keeping  all  his  responsibilities  in  good 
repair  adds  something  to  the  high  cost  of  living.  Ene- 
mies, irate  subscribers,  and  social  or  political  dis- 
favor sometimes  help  to  swell  the  price  of  fearlessness 
and  progressiveness.  No  careful  editor  boosts  the 
price  any  more  than  necessary :  he  keeps  it  down  to 
the  minimum.  But  after  he  has  paid  it,  and  paid  it 
as  cheerfully  as  possible,  he  always  finds  that  he  has 
bought  something  worth  having — self-respect  and  a 
good  conscience. 

Must  Not  Overlook  the  Individual. — Editors 
sometimes  become  so  habituated  to  viewing  people  in 
the  mass  that  they  grow  indifferent  as  to  their  respon- 

242 


EDITORIAL  RESPONSIBILITY 

sibilities  to  the  individual  members  of  society.  Charles 
H.  Grasty,  himself  a  publisher  of  large  experience,  has 
referred  to  this  as  a  "serious  blemish  on  our  journal- 
ism." Mr.  Grasty  believes  that  "in  a  general  way,  the 
press  appreciates  its  obligations  to  the  public  interest. 
The  average  editor  accepts  in  practice  the  principle 
of  public  trusteeship.  Ideality  is  much  more  common 
in  newspaper  offices  than  is  known  or  admitted  by  the 
layman,"  but  in  spite  of  this  fact  "contempt  for  the 
rights  of  the  individual"  is  not  infrequently  shown. 
For  years  Mr.  Grasty  printed  on  the  editorial  page 
of  his  Baltimore  Sun  a  corrections  column  to  which 
every  person  with  a  grievance  had  access.  "The  edi- 
tor," he  declares,  "should  be  a  gentleman  profession- 
ally as  well  as  personally." 

Taking  Off  His  Coat. — Finally,  it  is  interesting  to 
observe  that  the  editor  speaks  with  double  authority 
who  backs  up  his  words  with  action.  No  editor  can 
meet  his  responsibilities  by  mere  writing.  The  country 
editor,  especially,  must  do  two-thirds  of  his  preaching 
by  participation  in  affairs. 

William  Allen  White  has  thus  described  the  editor's 
contribution  to  the  happiness  of  his  town.  He  is 
speaking  of  the  editor  of  the  small  paper;  but  what  he 
says  is  true  of  any  editor  worthy  of  the  name. 

He  has  given  all  his  life  to  his  town;  he  has  spent 
thousands  of  dollars  to  promote  its  growth;  he  has  watched 
every  house  on  the  town-site  rise,  and  has  made  an  item 
in  his  paper  about  it;  he  has  written  up  the  weddings 
of  many  of  the  grandmothers  and  grandfathers  of  the 
town;  he  has  chronicled  the  birth  of  their  children  and 

243 


THE  EDITORIAL 

children's  children.  The  old  scrapbooks  are  filled  with 
kind  things  that  he  has  written.  Old  men  and  old  women 
scan  these  wrinkled  pages  with  eyes  that  have  lost  their 
luster,  and  on  the  rusty  clippings  pasted  there  fall  many 
tears.  In  this  book  many  a  woman  reads  the  little  verse 
below  the  name  of  a  child  whom  only  she  and  God  re- 
member. In  some  other  scrapbook,  a  man,  long  since 
out  of  the  current  of  life,  reads  the  story  of  his  little 
triumph  in  the  world;  in  the  family  Bible  is  a  clipping — 
yellow  and  crisp  with  years — that  tells  of  a  daughter's 
wedding  and  the  social  glory  that  descended  upon  the 
house  that  one  great  day. 

And,  to  quote  from  Charles  Moreau  Harger  on  the 
same  topic ; 

The  country  editor  of  to-day  is  coming  into  his  own.  He 
asks  fewer  favors  and  brings  more  into  the  store  of  com- 
mon good.  He  does  not  ask  eulogies  nor  does  he  resent 
fair  criticisms;  he  is  content  to  be  judged  by  what  he 
is  and  what  he  has  accomplished.  As  the  leader  of  the 
hosts  must  hold  his  place  by  the  consent  of  his  followers, 
so  must  the  town's  spokesman  prove  his  worth.  Closest 
to  the  people,  nearest  to  their  home  life,  its  hopes  and  its 
aspirations,  the  country  editor  is  at  the  foundation  of 
journalism. 


CHAPTER  XII 
THE  EDITOR'S  ROUTINE  AND  READING 

While  the  organization  of  large  newspaper  offices 
varies  considerably  as  to  details,  the  main  features  are 
the  same,  and  one  of  these  is  that  the  editor-in-chief 
stands  next  to  the  publisher  in  authority.  His  is  the 
duty  of  directing  the  paper,  according  to  the  purposes 
and  instructions  of  the  owner.  He  may  or  may  not 
write  editorials  himself.  Sometimes  he  hires  all  the 
brains  needed  for  that  and  uses  his  own  on  the  diffi- 
cult questions  of  policy.  He  is  well  paid,  his  salary 
rarely  being  less  than  $150  a  week  and  sometimes 
going  as  high  as  $300,  Mr.  Brisbane's  fabulous  salary 
is  one  of  those  exceptional  facts  that  concerns  the 
aspiring  beginner  about  as  much  as  the  Presidency. 

The  Man  on  a  City  Staff. — The  routine  of  the 
editorial  writer  is  described  by  one  who  has  had  long 
and  wide  experience  about  as  follows : 

The  editorial  writer  submits  to  the  editor  every 
morning  in  conference  a  list  of  editorial  topics  which 
to  him  may  seem  available.  The  requisite  number 
of  these  may  be  chosen,  or,  as  has  sometimes  happened, 
all  may  be  rejected  and  an  entirely  new  set  substituted, 
which  he  must  handle  with  as  much  readiness  as  if 
they  were  of  his  own  selection.     Usually,  however, 

245 


THE  EDITORIAL 

his  list  will  contain  the  required  number  of  acceptable 
topics.  He  finds  it  comparatively  easy  sailing  when 
his  subjects  are  before  him  and  he  is  able  to  settle 
down  to  their  treatment,  for  editorial  writing  is  his 
trade  or  his  art.  He  is,  therefore,  far  along  the  road, 
so  to  speak,  before  he  seemingly  begins  his  day's  jour- 
ney. He  has  already  mentally  gone  over  his  topics, 
consciously  or  subconsciously  analyzed  them.  He  has 
his  premises,  discussions  and  conclusions  arranged,  at 
least  in  outline.  The  rest  is  purely  composition,  and 
this  is  something  to  be  dealt  with  as  entirely  separate 
from  his  subject. 

A  half  dozen  writers  contribute  regularly  to  the 
editorial  page.  Some  of  these  are  represented  on  the 
page  daily,  others  thrice,  twice  or  once  a  week.  All 
contribute  more  or  less  to  other  departments.  All  are 
subject  to  such  assignments  as  the  editor-in-chief  may 
give  them.  Some  pjepare  special  articles  on  literary, 
political,  economic,  art,  and  other  subjects.  Some 
write  on  foreign  topics.  Some  write  reviews.  It  is 
intended  that  the  work  shall  be  so  distributed  as  to 
bear  equally  on  the  editorial  writing  force. 

Accuracy  of  statement  is  a  first  essential.  To  achieve 
it,  all  necessary  thought,  time  and  care  are  taken.  An 
editorial  goes  through  this  process : 

Subject  is  assigned  in  morning  conference. 

Position  to  be  taken  is  understood  as  office  policy 
or  indicated. 

The  article  is  written. 

It  is  passed  to  the  assistant  editor. 

It  goes  to  the  editorial  copy  reader,  whose  business 
246 


THE  EDITOR'S  ROUTINE  AND  READING 

is  to  "catch"  and  correct  any  "slips"  made  by  the 
writer. 

Corrected  proofs  go  to  assistant  editor,  copy  rea^ 
and  writer. 

Corrections  may  be  made  by  one  or  all. 

The  writer  may  change  form  of  construction  or 
statement  of  fact,  or  he  may  improve  or  polish  pas- 
sages. 

Revised  proofs  go  to  editor-in-chief. 

Editor-in-chief  may  order  alterations,  modifications, 
extensions,  the  rewriting  of  passages. 

Finally,  a  page  proof  is  passed  upon  by  editor-in- 
chief  and  assistant  editor. 

There  may  be  days,  and  even  weeks,  at  a  time,  when 
no  important  changes  are  ordered ;  many  changes,  how- 
ever, may  be  ordered  in  one  day. 

The  morning  editorial  conference  frequently  takes 
the  form  of  a  general  discussion  of  affairs,  the  editor- 
in-chief  leading,  and  from  such  discussions  the  edi- 
torial writers  draw,  directly  or  inferentially,  the  views 
of  their  superior,  not  only  as  they  concern  subjects 
of  the  day,  but  as  they  concern  subjects  that  may 
come  up  for  treatment  at  any  time  in  the  future.  This 
is  what  might  be  called  getting  the  "feel"  of  the  office. 
Thus  do  the  traditions  of  the  paper  show  the  way  to 
the  treatment  of  the  matter  in  hand. 

The  editorial  writer's  salary  is  better  than  that  of 
the  assistants  in  any  of  the  business  departments  and 
better  than  that  of  reporters  or  copy  readers.  In  some 
offices  the  "star"  reporter  receives  as  .much  or  more 

247 


THE  EDITORIAL 

than  editorial  writers.  They  are  paid  all  the  way  from 
$40  to  $150  a  week. 

They  are  able,  as  a  rule,  to  work  in  more  leisurely 
fashion  than  other  writers  for  the  paper  though  exi- 
gencies may  require  that  copy  be  hastily  written  and 
fed,  sheet  by  sheet,  unrevised,  to  the  compositors. 

In  the  Weekly  Magazine  Office. — The  editorial 
pages  of  a  weekly  periodical  rest  upon  much  the  same 
routine  as  has  been  described,  though  the  time  re- 
quirements are  somewhat  ameliorated  and  the  work 
of  members  of  the  staff  is  more  diversified.  Mark 
Sullivan,  editor  of  Collier's,  in  his  foreword  to  "Na- 
tional Floodmarks,"  a  collection  of  Collier's  editorials, 
describes  the  methods  of  work  in  that  office  as  follows : 

The  only  rule  there  has  ever  been  about  the  editorials 
in  Collier's  is  that  each  should  be  the  sincere  expression 
of  either  a  conviction  or  a  mood.  They  have  never  been 
written  to  order.  At  no  time  have  we  felt  that  the  death 
of  the  Akhoond  of  Swat  or  the  fiscal  policy  of  Siam  must, 
willy-nilly,  be  written  about.  China  becomes  a  republic, 
or  may  become  an  empire  again;  if  the  editorial  writer 
is  moved  to  the  expression  of  something  worth  while  on 
this  transition,  we  have  an  editorial  on  it;  if  not,  we  let 
China  alone  and  print  an  editorial  on  hollyhocks  or  on 
some  other  subject  that  the  writer  does  happen  to  have 
an  idea  about.  The  poet  De  Vigny  said:  "The  press  is 
a  mouth  forced  to  be  always  open  and  always  speaking. 
Hence  it  says  a  thousand  things  more  than  it  has  to  say, 
and  often  wanders  and  exaggerates.  It  would  be  the  same 
if  an  orator,  yes,  even  Demosthenes  himself,  had  to  speak 
without  interruption  all  the  year  round."  Probably  De 
Vigny    was    thinking    about    the    daily    press;    anyway, 

248 


THE  EDITOR'S  ROUTINE  AND  READING 

Collier's  theory  has  been,  not  to  cover  the  world  nor  the 
week's  news,  but  to  print  editorials  on  subjects  concern- 
ing which  the  writer  has — or  thinks  he  has — something 
to  say.  Of  course  the  convictions  have  not  always  been 
consistent  nor  the  moods  permanent — for  Collier's  is 
human. 

In  the  Small  Office. — In  the  country  weekly 
newspaper  office  or  that  of  the  small  daily,  the  routine 
of  the  editor  as  an  editorial  writer  usually  amounts 
to  this :  he  writes  editorials  when  he  is  not  doing  any- 
thing else,  A  multitude  of  duties  in  the  front  office, 
back  office,  and  on  the  street,  crowd  upon  him.  Op- 
portunities to  fritter  away  time  are  also  plentiful. 
Sometimes  he  turns  the  editorial  column  over  to  a 
reporter.  Sometimes  he  abolishes  it.  Oftentimes  the 
thing  that  he  needs  to  do  to  solve  the  difficulty  is  to 
adopt  better  business  methods.  The  installation  of  a 
modern  cost-finding  and  accounting  system,  in  even  the 
smallest  office,  is  bound  to  result  in  a  better  editorial 
column,  remote  as  the  connection  may  seem  to  be.  It 
will  conserve  the  newspaper  man's  time  so  that  he  can 
find  an  hour  occasionally  in  which  to  be  an  editor,  and 
it  will  make  him  more  prosperous  and  therefore  better 
able  to  hire  help  for  the  drudgery  and  release  his  mind 
for  work  that  is  worth  his  doing. 

Contrary  to  what  might  be  expected,  the  editorial 
work  in  the  typical  small  daily  is  more  conscientiously 
done  than  in  the  typical  weekly. 

A  Word  on  Behalf  of  Relaxation. — A  part  of  the 
editor's  roiitine — that  is,  one  of  the  things  that  he  does 
inevitably  and  periodically,  if  he  is  to  keep  his  pro- 

249 


THE  EDITORIAL 

ductive  efficiency  at  the  highest  mark — is  to  "dust  off 
his  soul,"  as  the  editor  of  a  sprightly  periodical  for 
newspaper  writers,  Pep,  put  it : 

We  think  it  highly  desirable  that  once  in  a  while  editors 
go  out  into  a  mental  desert,  and  get  a  lot  of  the  false 
odors  of  town  out  of  their  system. 

If  ever  were  needed  clear  thinking  leaders,  clean  think- 
ing leaders,  it  is  now;  and  if  editors  are  to  do  the  job 
the  public  has  a  right  to  expect  them  to  do — ^that  is,  in- 
struct and  guide  and  protect,  as  well  as  amuse  and  inform 
— they  must  occasionally  get  out  of  touch  with  politicians, 
irate  subscribers,  their  pet  club,  and  the  mill  of  office 
work  that  grinds  all  emotion  and  idealism  and  constructive 
thought  out  of  editors  about  as  fast  as  a  No.  5  grinds  out 
"must"  copy  fifteen  minutes  before  press  time. 

Vacations  for  most  workers  are  merely  play  periods. 
Publishers  and  editors  require  something  more  than  a 
play  spell. 

They  require  a  polishing  of  their  mental  faculties ;  they 
require  the  renewal  of  their  moral  sense  of  smell  so 
that  they  will  not  be  content  to  dwell  in  silence  with  a 
city  muck  heap. 

They  need  to  brush  out  a  lot  of  rubbish  that  has  piled 
in  their  heads  as  well  as  in  their  desks  and  filing  cabinets; 
and  a  period  of  solitary  confinement  with  nature  would 
help  more  than  a  little. 

The  editor  to-day  who  drifts  with  his  town,  who  be- 
comes merely  a  calliope  to  the  town  political,  social  and 
business  procession,  who  is  merely  a  changer  of  money 
inside  the  temple  instead  of  the  keeper  of  the  ark  of  the 
covenant;  such  an  editor  is  merely  an  animate  cash  reg- 
ister, and  any  paper  he  manages  is  a  simulacrum.  Of 
which  there  are  too  many  for  the  future  of  newspaperdom. 

250 


THE  EDITOR'S  ROUTINE  AND  READING 

If  you  in  any  sense  care  for  the  high  estate  of  the 
editor,  an  estate  as  high  as  that  of  the  minister,  or  the 
judge,  or  the  statesman,  you  will,  this  vacation  season, 
spend  some  time  in  getting  alone  with  yourself,  and 
letting  the  old  forces  of  nature  remold  you  for  your  soul's 
good. 

The  man  who  will  live  with  a  mountain  and  a  trout 
stream,  alone,  for  three  weeks  cannot  very  well  be  a 
cheap  assistant  to  the  town  gang  of  political  wastrels; 
the  man  who  watches  the  eternal  stars,  going  their 
solemn  rounds  each  night,  from  his  blanket  roll  under 
the  open  sky,  will  return  with  more  reverence  for  what 
is  right,  and  less  for  what  is  expedient. 

And,  if  our  guess  is  at  all  good,  an  awakened  public 
conscience  is  daily  making  what  is  right,  expedient. 

An  editor,  who  spends  his  vacation  tangoing  with  the 
seaside  mob,  is  likely  to  return  with  about  as  much  worth- 
while aspiration  as  have  the  other  fat  lounge  lizards  with 
whom  he  consorts  at  his  club. 

Such  a  one  is  not  an  editor;  he's  just  another  tired 
business  man,  kicking  up  a  dust  on  the  city  treadmill. 

The  Two  Kinds  of  Books. — When  a  number  of 
successful  editors  were  asked  what  books  the  edi- 
torial writer  should  read,  the  majority  of  them  pre- 
faced their  answers  by  dividing  books  into  two  classes, 
after  the  manner  of  DeQuincey:  those  books  which 
present  information,  and  those  which  contain  power ; 
or  as  one  editor  put  it,  "a.  book  does  one  or  both  of 
two  things :  it  supplies  you  with  facts,  definite  in- 
formation, or  it  stimulates  your  imagination,  builds  up 
your  power  of  original  thought." 

The  Storehouse  Shelf. — As  to  books  of  informa- 
251 


THE  EDITORIAL 

tion,  the  editor  of  any  paper,  no  matter  how  small, 
needs,  of  course,  a  good  dictionary,  and  a  good  en- 
cyclopedia. From  this  minimum,  the  limits  of  editorial 
libraries  expand  until,  in  the  office  of  the  large  news- 
paper, are  sometimes  found  libraries  of  several  thou- 
sand volumes.  Among  the  most  used  books  of  these 
larger  libraries  are  the  Year  Books  of  the  various 
countries,  government  reports,  Who's  Who,  Political 
Campaign  Text  Books,  dictionaries  of  quotations,  con- 
cordances. Reader's  Guide  to  Periodical  Literature, 
atlases,  almanacs,  histories,  financial  and  commercial 
reports,  comprehensive  books  on  each  of  the  sciences, 
census  reports.  Encyclopedia  of  Social  Reform,  mem- 
oirs of  great  Americans,  dictionary  of  authors,  treaties 
of  the  United  States,  constitutional  law* of  the  United 
States,  books  on  international  law.  Outlines  of  Ameri- 
can Politics,  History  of  the  Presidency. 
T  Inspirational  Books. — As  to  the  other  part  of  the 
editor's  library — the  books  from  which  he  acquires 
inspiration  and  increase  in  his  power  of  expression, — 
there  is  as  little  agreement  as  one  would  expect. 

According  to  one,  "The  Bible  is  the  greatest  book  for 
the  editor,  because  it  has  in  it,  more  than  any  other 
book,  the  story  of  human  thought  from  the  day  when 
Job  humbled  himself  in  the  dust  talking  about  Behe- 
moth and  Leviathan  and  Arcturus,  to  the  almost  mod- 
ern day  when  Paul,  the  aristocrat  Jewish  nobleman  of 
Tarsus,  preached  salavation  based  on  unselfishness." 

Next  to  the  Bible,  Shakspere  receives  the  most  fre- 
quent mention.  "An  editor  should  have  a  great  deal  of 
Shakspere  in  his  head,  and  all  of  Shakspere  at  his 

252 


THE  EDITOR'S  ROUTINE  AND  READING 

elbow.  He  should  read  Macbeth,  Hamlet,  King  Lear, 
and  the  Tempest,  at  least  once  a  year.  As  a  man 
knows  more,  Shakspere  tells  him  more." 

Another  prominent  editor  reports  that  the  outside 
reading  which  he  most  values  is  poetry  and  such 
writers  as  Burke,  Macaulay,  and  Lowell. 

Still  another  editor  finds  inspiration  in  reading  the 
lives  of  men  preeminent  in  journalism.  He  recom- 
mends Dasent's  "Delane"  and  Parton's  "Greeley." 

To  continue  the  enumeration  of  books  preferred  by 
different  editors  would  merely  add  unnecessarily  to  the 
demonstration  of  the  fact  that  "it  is  all  a  matter  of 
taste."  The  important  thing  is  that  no  editor  over- 
look the  fact  that  if  he  is  using  books  merely  as  a 
source  of  information,  he  is  utilizing  only  half  their 
value.  If  he  can  only  find  it,  there  is  a  book — many 
books — which  will  have  for  him  helpful  tonic  qualities 
— without  any  bad  after-effects. 

Charles  R.  Miller,  editor  of  the  New  York  Times, 
thus  sums  up  the  objects  to  be  sought  by  reading  and 
study :  "An  editor  should  have  a  good  working  knowl- 
edge of  history  and  politics.  He  should  prepare  him- 
self for  the  interpretation  of  history,  the  philosophy 
of  history,  the  correlation  of  events  that  may  be  widely 
separated.  For  some  eruption  of  the  day  he  should 
be  able  to  apply  Guizot  and  Buckle  from  a  head  stored 
like  a  library  for  ready  reference;  he  should  be  on 
terms  of  familiarity  with  John  Marshall,  Justice  Peck- 
ham,  and  Chief  Justice  White;  in  general  he  should 
read  much,  talk  much,  travel  when  he  can." 


CHAPTER  XIII 
ANALYZING  EDITORIALS 

Benefit,  not  only  to  a  beginner,  but  also  to  a  prac- 
ticed writer,  will  come  from  analysis  of  the  methods 
and  style  of  successful  editorial  writers.  To  dis- 
cover just  how  another  makes  himself  understood, 
how  he  maintains  interest,  how  he  injects  the  pictorial 
element,  how  he  employs  historical  or  literary  allu- 
sions, how  he  wins  the  sympathy  and  confidence  of  the 
reader,  how  he  promotes  the  spirit  of  tolerance,  how 
he  introduces  a  whimsical,  satirical,  or  a  sterner  tone — 
to  discover  the  secret  of  these  effects  in  another's  writ- 
ing is  to  acquire  resourcefulness  in  one's  own. 

Ten  Tests  of  an  Editorial. — The  following  is  a 
recapitulation,  in  outline  form,  of  some  of  the  points 
that  have  been  made  in  the  preceding  chapters.  If  the 
student  will  select  an  editorial  and  examine  it  from 
these  ten  points  of  view,  he  will  have  made  a  rather 
complete  analysis  of  it.  Such  study  should  assist  self- 
criticism  and  consequent  improvement  in  writing. 

A  good  editorial  will  stand  up  well  when  tested  as  to 
its  adequate  meeting  of  requirements  involved  in  the 
following  ten  phases : 

I.     Appearance. 

a.     Column  width  and  typography. 
254 


ANALYZING  EDITORIALS 

b.  Length. 

c.  Paragraphing. 

2.  Theme. 

a.  Scope:  local,  state,  national,  world,  gen- 

eral. 

b.  Field :  politics,  commerce,  persons,  etc. 

c.  Interest:  timeliness,   significance,  human 

interest,  unusualness,  etc. 

3.  Materials. 

a.  Nature :  events,  thoughts,  feelings,  values,, 

etc. 

b.  Sources :  observation,  reflection,  readings 

conversation,  experience.  • 

4.  Organization. 

a.  The    beginning:    direct    or    indirect   ap- 

proach to  subject,  slant  on  subject,  at- 
tention value  for  reader,  first  impres- 
sion, etc, 

b.  The  end :  formal  or  informal,  climactic  or 

uniform,  abrupt  or  polished,  weak  or 
forceful,  adaptation  to  reader  and  sub- 
ject and  purpose.  Last  impression  ef- 
fective or  not. 

c.  Arrangement  of  constituents,  padded  or 

reduced  to  essentials, 

d.  Adaptation    to   reader's    information    or 

ignorance,  interest  or  indifference,  re- 
ceptivity or  prejudice. 

e.  Heading :  relation  to  theme,  adaptation  to 

reader,  form  and  effectiveness. 
255 


THE  EDITORIAL 

^ 

Rhetorical  form. 

a.  Description. 

b.  Narration. 

c.  Exposition. 

d.  Argument. 

e.  Persuasion. 
Style. 

a.  Qualities :  pictorial  or  commonplace,  con- 
cise or  wordy,  clear  or  involved,  force- 
ful or  M^eak,  spirited  or  dull,  original 
or  stereotyped,  affected  or  sincere,  en- 
riched or  plain,  trenchant  ^  or  smooth, 
sentimental  or  gay,  refined  or  crude, 
subtle  or  frank.  Giving  reader  sense 
of  discovery. 
^  b.     Unity  or  consistency  throughout. 

Tone. 

a.  Fair  or  shrewd,  caustic  or  generous,  dic- 
tatorial or  rational,  lofty  or  demo- 
cratic, philosophical  or  intense,  digni- 
fied or  simple,  intimate  or  formal, 
whimsical  or  serious,  ironical,  satirical, 
sarcastic,  abusive. 

Purpose. 

a.  To  inform. 

b.  To  interpret. 

c.  )  To  convince. 

d.  To  influence. 
-  e.     To  entertain. 

Moral  qualities  and  sense  of  editorial  responsi- 
bility. 

256  ■ 


ANALYZING  EDITORIALS 

lo.  Value,  judged  by  requirements  that  it  be  seen, 
read,  believed,  adopted,  and  benefit  the  com- 
munity, the  state,  or  society  at  large. 

Published  Collections  of  Editorials. — Several 
volumes  of  editorials  are  available  for  those  who 
■\Yould  rather  consult  them  than  the  current  issues  or 
bound  volumes  of  publications.    Among  them  are: 

"Casual  Essays  of  the  Sun,"  published  in  1905  by 
Robert  G.  Cooke,  New  York.  Contains  some  two  hun- 
dred editorial  articles  on  many  subjects,  "clothed  with 
the  philosophy  of  the  bright  side  of  things." 

"National  Floodmarks,"  published  in  191 5  by  George 
H.  Doran  Company.  Contains  three  hundred  or  more 
"week-by-week  observations  on  American  life,"  writ- 
ten by  Mark  Sullivan,  the  editor  of  Collier's,  and 
members  of  his  staff. 

"Editorials  from  the  Hearst  Newspapers,"  Albert- 
son  Publishing  Company,  New  York,  1906.  More 
than  one  hundred  examples  oi  Arthur  Brisbane's 
earlier  work. 

"Fifty  Years  of  American  Idealism,"  Houghton 
Mifflin  Company,  191 5,  edited  by  Gustav  Pollak,  A 
collection  of  editorials  from  the  New  York  Nation. 

Better  to  Go  to  Original  Sources. — Few  complete 
editorials  are  reprinted  in  this  present  volume.  A 
faithful  attempt  has  been  made  to  exemplify  principles 
by  the  minimum  amount  of  quotation.  A  set  of  models 
may  best  be  made  up  by  each  writer  for  himself.  The 
newspapers  and  periodicals  of  my  day  in  the  year 
afford  abundant  material. 

257 


IND^X 


Allusions,  historical  and 
literary,  144-148,  149, 
195,  196 

American  editors,  6 

Analyzing    editorials,    254- 

257 
Antagonism,   disarming  of, 

105 
Aphorism,  191 
Appearance,   typographical, 

212 
Argument  in  editorials,  78- 

84 

Bennett,  James  Gordon,  7 
Bigelow,  John,  7 
Bookkeeping  the  news,  48 
Books,  two  kinds  of,  251 
Bowles,  Samuel,  7 


162 

Cafeteria  methods,  223 
Capitalistic    press,    the    so- 


called,  235  "^^ 


Carruth,   William   Herbe 

Cartoons,  as  editorials,  226 
Cobbett,  William,  4 


.^> 


Coleman,  William,  6 
Collections^'-oi     editorials. 

published  25^ 
Columnists,^the,     203-211: 

aims     and     methods     of, 

208;    materials   used   by, 

209-211 
"Colyums,"    spicy  titles   of, 

205 
Commonplaceness,        effect 

of,  171 
Communications,       column 

for,  22y-22% 
Community     service,     238- 

240 
Country    weekly,    editorial 

work  on  the,  249 

Dana,  Charles  A.,  7 


Brisbane,  Arthur,  ii  s^yDelane,  J.  T.,  4 

Bryant,  William  Cullen,  6, ,  development    of    the    edi- 
torial column,  1-13 
Dickens,  Charles,  4 
Discussion,    continuity    in, 
56 


ditorial    and   news    story, 
the,  43-47 
Editorial   column,   develop- 
ment of  the,  1-13 


259 


INDEX 


^Editorializing  news,  ii 

Editorial,  lost  confidence  in 
the,  15 

Editorial  page,  cafeteria 
method  in,  223;  position 
of,  220;  the  ideal,  219; 
types  of,  221 

Editorials,  analysis  of.  254- 
257;  attention  paid  to, 
222-223;  length  of,  217; 
published  collection  of, 
257;  scope  of,  57,  58 

Editorials,  types  of,  62-97; 
argumentative,  78-84 ; 
general  type  of,  93-97; 
informative,  62-66;  inter- 
pretative, 66-78;  persua- 
sive, 85,  92;  types  of, 
illustrated,  97,  98 

EditoriaLjen   tests   of  an. 

Editorial,  the,  9--T3a.;-begin- 
ning  of,  104;  body  of, 
132;  chief  criticisms  of, 
16-19;  ending  of,  123; 
golden  age  of,  7;  impor- 
tance of,  22-26;  modern 
development  of,  9;  the 
signed,  12 :  superficial 
classification  of,  99 

Editorial  work,  in  the  mag^ 
azine  ofiice,  248;  in  the 
metropolitan  ofiice,  245- 
247;  in  the  small  office, 
249 

Editorial  work,  routine  of, 
245 


Editor-in-chief,    salary    of, 

245 

Editor,  the,  2-49;  false  atti- 
tude of,  20-21 ;  in  Amer- 
ica and  in  England,  2,  6; 
personal,  the,  9;  prestige 
of,  34-35 ;  reading  habits 
of,  49 

English  editors,  2 

English  newspapers,  edi- 
torials in,  140 

Entertainment  in  editorials, 
62-66 

Exaggeration,  humor  in^ 
190 

Experience,  importance  of, 
51 

Fitch,  George,  226 
Frankenstein,  the,  196 

Gladden,   Dr.    Washington, 

220 
Godkin,  E.  L.,  7 
Grasty,    Charles    H.,    140, 

144 
Greeley,    Horace,    7,    160, 

161,  162 

Heading,    choice    of,    138; 
^   the  editorial,  213 
Hearst,  W.  R.,  11 
Homily,  192 
House,  J.  E.,  205 


260 


INDEX 


^ 
:::^ 

^ 

^ 


~:^ 


If's,  editorial,  39-41 
Imagination,     part     played 

by,  144 
Imitation,    value    of,     180, 

181 
Incongruity,  humor  in,  190 
Informational  sources,  251 
Information    in    editorials, 

62-66 
Innuendo,  152,  194 
In'spiration  from  books,  252 
Interpretative        editorials, 

66-78 
Invective,  160 
Inventory,  taking  an,  39-41 
Irony,  155,  193 

Journalism,  yellow,  11 

London  Times,  4 

Magazine,  routine  in  office 

of,  248 
Magazines,  editorials  in,  27 
Marquis,  Don,  209 
Martin,  E.  S.,  141 
Materials,  selection  of,  54 
Medill,  Joseph,  7 
Metaphor,  191,  199 

News  in  early  papers,  i 
Newspapers,    essentials    of 

strong,  36-38 
New^spapers,  rights  of,  233 
Northcliffe,  Lord,  4 


Obligation,  the  professional, 
232 


261 


Obligations,  clash  of,  230 
Observation,  importance  of, 

49 

Organization,  first  steps  in, 
103;  a  clinic  in,  133;  fac- 
tors in,  102,  255 

Owner,  responsibility  to, 
231 


Paradox,  193 

Paragraphers,  good  sub- 
jects for,  183;  methods 
used  by,  199-203 

Paragraphs,  136-199;  con- 
densation in,  184;  length 
of,  136,  137;  placing  of, 
187;  points  of  excellence 
in,  188;  the  hortatory, 
198;  value  of,  186 

Pathos,  167-169 

Persuasion  in  editorials, 
85-92 

Persuasive  editorial,  ending 
of  the,  127 

Philosophy,  homemade,  198 

Platitude,  the,  199 

Policies,  inside,  104;  pur- 
suance of,  56 

Politics,  mixing  in,  241 

Proverbs,  distorted,  193 

Public  mind,  the,  33 

Public  opinion,  the  mystery 
of,  32 

Public,  relation  of  the,  103, 
104;  the  editor's,  30 

Puns,  191 


INDEX 


Quotation,  modified,  192 

Raymond,  Henry  J.,  7 

Readers,  consideration  of, 
59.  '60 

Readers'  interests,  tabulat- 
ing, 52,  53 

Readmg  habits  of  editors, 

49 
ReadiTiff,  objects  of,  2^3 
Reiteration,  use  of,  181 
Relaxation,  a  word  for,  249 
RepoTtter's    work    and    edi- 
tor's, the,  42-43 
RespoBsibility  of  the  editor, 
230-244;    community    af- 
fairs, in,  238,  239;  indi- 
vidual,  to   the,    242;    his 
newspaper,    to,    233;-   his 
profession,  to,  232 ;  owner 
of  the  paper,  to  the,  231 ; 
politics,    in,    241 ;    public, 
to  the,  235 ;  society  as  a 
whole,     to,     241 ;     town 
salesman,  as,  248 
Revolutionary   period,   edi- 
torial in  the,  6 
Ridicule,  158 

Salesmanship,      a      lesson 

from,  102 
Sarcasm,  157 
Satire,  152,  195 
Self-expression,  180 
Sentinaent,  56,  57 
Service  to  the  community, 


Society,  editor's  responsi- 
bility to,  241 

Style,  14 1 -1 76;  concrete- 
ness  in,  144;  dictatorial, 
169;  interest  value  of. 
141 ;  pictorial  quality  in. 
144-166;  the  "mega- 
phone," 176;  minimum 
requirements  of,  143 ; 
sharp  weapons  of,  J51 

Subjects,  variety  of,  54; 
local,  national,  etc.,  54 

Sunday,  variations  on,  228 

Tests  of  an  editorial,  ten. 

254 
Timeliness,  54 
Town  salesman,  the  editor, 

a,  240 
Type  measurements,  215 
Typography    of    editorials. 

212-216 

Understatement,  humor  in, 
190 

Verse,  newspaper,  228 
Vincent,  George  E.,  236 

Watterson,   Henry,  7,   10 
"We,"  the  editorial,  171 
White,  William  Allen,  164, 

165,  243 
Wide  columns,  use  of,  215 
Writing,  speed  in,  179 


262 


(1) 


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